Changes
by JaminJazzi
Summary: Alita Dubois never wanted to move to Riverdale, but her parents believed that the small town would keep her safe and out of trouble. However, Ali never liked dramatic changes in her life. With her new life ahead of her, will Ali finally be a normal teenager or will her past catch up to her? New friends, love & drama is about to smack this new girl into a life that she may not want.
1. Chapter 1

Ali did not have a single care in the world. She walked into the school with her hands pushed into the pockets of her black leather jacket, her black curly locks pushed back with a black lace headband and her earphones placed in her ears. As the music rocked her eardrums and soothed her paranoia, she walked to her destination. The corridors looked like the red sea with the way every person parted their way in order to make room for the new girl. Whispers were exchanged as the information flew around about the girl who was walking to the front office. Boys eyes obviously trailed up and down her figure while girls would look at her with slight jealousy and disgust. Ali took no notice of the individuals around her since she was just trying to make it to her destination.

Ali opened up the door and took a step into the main office. It was plain and did not have many interesting décor set-up. There was the odd poster that said _everyone is equal, so treat everyone equally_ that made Ali raise an eyebrow and roll her eyes as she took a step to the front desk. The white woman with brown straight hair behind the counter looked up at her as she pushed up her glasses.

"Can I help you, dear?" Mrs. Silver asked the black haired girl in front of her. The girl took out her headphones and wrapped them behind her neck before answering,

"I'm new. My name is Alita Dubois." With a strong East London accent, the black haired girl managed to surprise and shock Mrs. Silver.

"Of course! Welcome to Riverdale High School! I know Principal Weatherbee is very excited to see you. Please, take these papers and go knock on his door. It's the one right there." Mrs. Silver pointed behind her to the door that read _Principal_ on the glass.

"Perfect, thank you." Ali thanked the secretary before she handed her the much needed papers. Afterwards, the new girl walked over to the principals door and knocked on it twice.

"Come in." With a turn of the door knob, Ali had stepped into the principals office. There were two large windows that allowed a lot of light to enter the room. There were several bookshelves on the wall beside the door that housed many books that ranged from education to fantasy. Mr. Weatherbee's desk sat in the middle of the wall on the opposite end. It was made of dark wood and was paired with a matching chair of dark brown leather. When Mr. Weatherbee looked up to see who was the guest, he immediately stood up from his chair and smiled. "Alita!" The hard faced new girl smiled at the man before shutting the door and walking towards him, so she could receive a hug.

"Hello, uncle." She greeted. The two were not related, but Waldo Weatherbee was a close friend of Ali's mother from high school. Ali had met Waldo many times when he would come to England or when she would come to Riverdale.

"How are you? Are you excited for the school year? How was moving in?" Ali laughed as her uncle and her made their way back to his desk. Ali sat in one of the chairs opposite of his brown leather chair.

"I'm good. Moving was a bit difficult, but everything is finally in place. I'm not very excited about starting school though, to be completely honest." Ali admitted to her uncle.

"I understand. This was a big decision for your family, but know that this is the right decision for you. You'll be safe here." Her uncle tried to reassure her unwanted move to a new country.

"If I'll be so safe then why was a student murdered and a father was shot?" Ali crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. Her right leg swung itself and rested on her left thigh while her right eyebrow raised.

"Of course you would already know about that. Why am I not surprised?" Waldo sighed as he placed his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands. "Yes, a student was killed, but the killer was successfully found. As for the father being shot…the local police are working on finding the shooter."

"And my parents thought that this was going to be a safe and boring old town." Ali smirked at her uncle. Waldo sighed as he leaned back into his leather back chair.

"You'll definitely be a lot safer here than when you were at home, Ali." Ali shrugged her shoulders at her uncles response.

"That's up for debate. Now, are you going to show me around or am I going to have to figure it out myself?" A large grin crossed Waldo's face as he quickly stood up. He was prepared to show off his amazing school to a young girl that he considered his own.

The two left the office and began to walk around the corridors. Waldo excitedly showed off every classroom and teacher to Ali as the pair walked around. Ali thought that the school was nothing special. It was definitely smaller than her school in London, so she realized that it would take her no time to know her way around. Once the tour was over, Ali was brought to her class before lunch. It was French class.

"Classe, bienvenue une nouvelle élève, Alita." Madame Lopal introduced Ali to the class. The class mumbled a monotone welcome. Madame looked over at the French girl in front of her and gestured towards the class, non-verbally saying that she wanted her to introduce herself. With a sigh, Ali complied. "Bonjour. Je suis Alita, mais vous pouvez m'appeler Ali." Madame looked stunned as she looked over at the girl in front of her. "Ton accent est parfait!" Ali placed her hand on the back of her neck as she began to explain herself to her teacher and her new classmates, "Je viens d'Angleterre, mais mon péree est français." As Madam Lopal began to gush over her new student, the classmates that filled up the desks were all looking at the new girl with a quizzical look. Ali sat down at her desk by the window and rested her chin on her hand as she stared at the plain town in front of her. She could feel the eyes stare at the side and the back of her head. Ali wondered if the rumours about her were true or if she had just given them new ammunition for their gossip mill to turn some more. Ali sighed with the thought and drowned out her teacher and her classmates.

When lunch came around, Ali made her way to her locker. With a swift play of her fingers, she unlocked her lock and began to place her bag into the metal container. Ali's fingers played with the wire in front of her that was tangled in front of her, so she would be able to listen to her music in peace. The sound of a body pressing against a locker was heard before a males voice was directed at Ali.

"Hello stranger, I hear that you're new." Ali looked to her right to see a tall Korean man leaning against her neighbouring locker. There were two other men behind him, one with brown hair and a bit of a wider build and a tall figure with a slim build and blonder hair.

"What gave it away? My accent or the fact that I haven't thrown myself at your feet?" Reggie could hardly contain his excitement once he heard the new girl speak. Her accent was everything that he had hoped for and more. Even though Ali presented him and his company with a bored expression, he couldn't help, but want to make her speak.

"It's a small town, so word spreads pretty quickly. So obviously I'd hear about the new resident hottie." Ali scanned the mysterious boys model like face. His jawline was sharp and his lips were full. The black hair that sat on top of his head looked pristine and perfect from where he stood.

"And let me guess, you're hear to show me a proper 'Riverdale' welcome, correct?" Reggie leaned closer to the girl in front of him and smirked as he answered her question,

"I would be honoured to show you." Reggie believed he had her in the palm of his hand. Why wouldn't he? Reggie was the captain of the football team and every girl, in her right mind, wanted him.

"Too bad," Ali took a step closer and allowed her fingers to slowly climb up his black shirt that was underneath his blue and gold varsity jacket. "I'd rather choke." With a swift push of her left hand, Ali had closed her locker door and turned on her heel in order to walk down the corridor and towards the canteen. She raised her right hand and waved at the boys behind her as she continued to walk away. Reggie and his friends were stunned at the rejection that had just taken place. Reggie's friends all patted his shoulders and told him that Ali was not worth his time because she didn't realize what she was missing. However, Reggie didn't agree with them. He liked this new girl, Ali. She was different and he wanted to play this game of hers.

The curly haired girl found a deserted table in the canteen and walked towards it. She pulled out the chair and sat down. Ali placed her phone on the table and quickly put on one of her favourite Internet stars. She watched the video play and laughed to herself as she ate her lunch by herself. Ali's eyes rolled and a sigh escaped her lips when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Ali reluctantly pulled out her headphones and paused her video before turning around in her chair. She was met with a black haired girl who wore a dark purple lipstick to match her expensive purple dress that showed off every curve she owned.

"Hi! I'm Veronica Lodge." She stuck out her right hand and Ali shook it politely. "Alita Dubois. People call me Ali."

"That sounds French. I thought you were English?" Veronica asked the new girl in front of her.

"I am English, but my father is French." Ali explained her origin.

"That is very cool! Well, Ali, I was wondering if you wanted to come and sit with me and my friends for lunch? I know it's always hard to make new friends in a new place." Veronica smiled at Ali.

"Thank you, but I'm good where I am. I'd rather just keep my head down and enjoy my own company." Ali declined the offer from the rich girl in front of her. She really did stick out like a sore thumb in the canteen with her expensive attire. Ali could tell that she wasn't from around here.

"Are you sure? We'd really love it if you joined us."

"I'm good, thank you. I'd rather be alone today." Veronica didn't fight with the girl in front of her, for fear of losing a potential new friend. The two exchanged goodbyes before Ali turned back around and continued to watch her video. Ali didn't want to make any friends. Ali's goal was to finish high school with no issues and fly back home. She didn't want to be here, so she'll just bare through this boring town until the day she could go home.

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 **HELLO YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! If this is the first time you're reading one of my stories then...hello! If not then...it's nice to see you again, friend! So this is a Riverdale story that takes place in the second season and onwards. It does go cannon with the show, but most of the chapters are separate from the shows universe because Ali obviously has her own life. So the Reggie in this fic is the one from second season, Charles Melton, because he's gorgeous. Anyways, I'll be posting every Monday, so we can all have something to look forward on Mondays! I already have 17 chapters written, so we're good for a little while! Anyways, follow, favourite and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Parents = Vixens**

It was an average morning in the Dubois household. Ali's mother and father, Cecile and Theo, were in the kitchen. Cecile opened up the dark brown cupboards looking for her mug in order to make her morning tea. Theo was sitting at the table with his tablet in hand – reading the morning news. Cecile walked over to her loving husband and kissed him on the top of his head before sitting down across from him. Theo placed his tablet onto the table, so he could look at his beautiful wife. Cecile could not believe that the man across from him moved away from everything that he knew…twice in order to make her happy. She stared at his black curls that sat on top of his head, the same curls that rolled through their daughters hair.

"You look absolutely radiant." Theo complimented his wife as he reached out to hold her hand.

"I have to keep up with my dashing husband." Cecile smiled as she pulled up his hand and placed a kiss at the back of it.

"Why are you two so in love?" The familiar sound of their teenage daughter rang through their ears as she walked into the kitchen. Ali placed her bread into the toaster and waited for it to pop back up. She leaned against the counter in her black high waisted jeans and her burgundy _Fabulously British_ jumper. Her black curly hair was kept up in a high ponytail with only a few strands pulled out around her face to frame it.

"Is that so wrong, mon chou?" Theo asked his daughter. Ali rolled her eyes as she picked up her toast and grabbed a glass of milk before sitting down at the table with her parents.

"I guess it would be worse if you guys hated each other, so je n'ai aucune plainte." Ali shrugged her shoulders before taking her first bite of her toast.

"Alita, have you made any friends?" Cecile asked her rebellious daughter as she continued to munch away at her toast.

"Non. Ça m'est égal. I didn't even want to move here." Ali answered her mothers question before sipping at her morning milk.

"Making friends will be good for you. Sinon, vous serez seul. Ce n'est pas amusant." Ali looked at her father before shrugging her shoulders.

"Like I said, je n'ai aucune plainte." Ali watched as both of her parents sighed before turning to give her their complete attention.

"We came here, so you could live a normal life, so can you at least try?" Cecile held onto her daughters hand as she looked into her eyes. Ali noticed that her mothers eyes were pleading with her. It was true – the three of them moved across the world back to her mother's hometown just to give Ali the life that she deserved, but Ali didn't want this life. However, she would put her parents before anyone else.

"Mon chou, can you try?" Ali looked over at her father and saw the soft smile on his lips. She was always a father's girl and this time was no exception. With a reluctant sigh, she nodded her head.

"D'accord." A smile formed on Cecile's lips before she leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Trés bien!" Cecile clapped her hands together.

"I don't know where to start though. It's the middle of the school year and everyone already have their friends." Ali said as she finished up her toast.

"Try joining some clubs. I'm sure your uncle will help you if you ask." Cecile suggested a solution to the problem. Ali was about to come up with an excuse, but her father interjected too quickly,

"I agree. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea!" Ali did not feel like arguing with her parents, so she gave up and agreed to joining a club. After breakfast was adjourned, Ali placed her leather jacket on and grabbed her backpack and left her home. It was a calm and relaxing walk to school as Ali listened to her music.

Once Ali walked into the school she quickly found her locker in the corridor. She opened up the locker door and began to place her books away. Ali didn't notice the world around her due to her music, but when someone tapped her shoulder she quickly took out her headphones and turned around. Veronica Lodge stood in front of her wearing her pearl necklace and tight black dress.

"Good morning, Ali! How are you?" Ali made a mental note that Veronica Lodge is like a dog with a bone.

"I'm well, thank you. How are you?" Ali answered.

"I'm good. I just wanted to come ask you how your first day was yesterday! Was it good? Did you make any friends?" Ali wondered why Veronica was so interested in her, but concluded that it was due to the fact that she was the new girl.

"I like being by myself, so I didn't make any friends. Overall, my day was pretty decent." Ali was about to close her locker and walk away, but she remembered what her mother had said to her at breakfast.

"Actually, Veronica, can I ask you something?" Veronica's face almost looked like it was going to burst with happiness. She wanted to be friends with Ali and now it would finally be possible!

"Anything!" Ali closed her locker before asking her question,

"My parents are telling me I need to join a club of some sort, so I don't know if-"

"You should join the Vixens!" Veronica did not let Ali finish her sentence. Veronica was so overjoyed with this idea that she immediately clapped her hands together to seal the deal. "It's been decided, you'll join the Vixens. We have a practice today after school, so just meet me at the gym and I'll introduce you to everyone, okay?"

"Sure?" Ali didn't know what she had just signed up for, but it seemed to be a little difficult to say no to the rich girl in front of her. Veronica quickly said her goodbyes before turning around and practically skipping away with joy. Ali just stood in the corridor with a confused look on her face before sighing and placing her headphones back in her ears.

After school, Ali found her way to the gym. Outside the gym stood Veronica and a blonde friend of hers. Ali walked towards the pair and gave them a small smile.

"Ali! I'm so happy you made it." Veronica greeted her new found friend by grabbing her hand.

"This is Betty, she's my BFF. Betty, this is Ali, the new girl from England."

"It's great to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you." Ali shook the blonde girls hand.

"The rumour mill is still turning, huh? What are they saying about me, anyways?" Betty and Veronica glanced at each other, they were afraid to speak of the rumours that were circulating around the school about the English girl in front of them. Ali laughed as she waved her hand in front of them,"Don't worry about it. I could care less about that people think about me. It's not like they matter to me anyways."

"I like that attitude Ali! Now come with us and we can give you what to wear for practice." Betty and Veronica brought Ali into the change room and handed them exactly what they were wearing – a white shirt with ¾ yellow sleeves and short navy blue shorts with a white trim.

"Is this for a team or something?" Ali questioned the two girls after she placed her new attire on her body. The fit was perfect and slightly revealing. She was concerned for her behind and how full it looked in these shorts.

"Did V not tell you that the Vixens are the schools cheerleading team?" Betty asked Ali with her hands on her hips.

"Obviously not if I'm asking about it." Ali made a sarcastic comment as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Well now you know, so we should get going to practice!" Veronica was extremely excited to recruit a new member and a new member that she was desperately trying to become close with. She had always wanted an English friend since they were deemed to be on the same level as Veronica. It would only match the lifestyle that she wanted.

When the three ladies walked into the gym, they were met with Cheryl Blossom and Josie McCoy. Cheryl stood in front of the trio with her hands by her sides and her perfectly curled red locks cascading down her chest. Her lips were a bright red as she wore her trademark red lipstick that her family owned. Josie stood beside her with her hair tied up in a bun with a single braid resting on the side of her face. Josie smiled at the trio while Cheryl held her hands in front of her with an all-knowing smirk playing on her lips.

"Josie! What are you doing here?" Veronica asked her Pussycat partner.

"This is our newest recruit." Cheryl introduced Josie to the Vixens.

"In addition to my duties as a Pussycat and I just want to say, girls, I'm so excited to work on my moves and to be a team player, as long as I'm in the front." Josie said to Cheryl as she nudged elbows. Ali looked around the gym and saw that the other Vixens looked surprised by this news and Ali made note that maybe she didn't want to be a Vixen.

"Wait, Cheryl, does that mean you're taking the Vixens back from me?" Veronica asked the red headed girl in front of her.

"But, really Veronica, were they ever yours?" Cheryl faked a smiled at Veronica. "Also, I see that we have another new recruit." Ali noticed that Cheryl was now making eye contact with her. She noticed that she was trying to assert her dominance with Ali, but Ali made a mental note on how to handle the red head bombshell in front of her.

"This is Alita-" Cheryl cut off Veronica by finishing up her sentence.

"Dubois. As in Dubois & Co. As in your mother is Cecile, Vixen royalty. I heard that you would be joining us here at Riverdale High."

"Either you've done your research or you're a part of the rumour mill." Ali spoke to Cheryl.

"Nothing happens in Riverdale without my knowledge. I hope Riverdale is a welcoming town to one with such high standing." Cheryl took a few steps forward, so she was now standing in front of the black curly haired girl. "You should be mingling with those of the same standing as you, so I am so very pleased that you've joined the Vixens. Individuals like ourselves need to stick together, right?"

"Look, Cheryl, I'm just trying to make my parents happy by joining a team of some sort." Ali explained her stance on this whole cheerleading team. "We didn't have a cheerleading team back at my school…this is more of an American thing, so maybe this isn't for me." Ali was going to try and make her escape now, but Cheryl grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her.

"None sense, you're meant to be with the Vixens. I'll hear nothing more of this foolishness. Consider yourself a River Vixen!" Cheryl was ecstatic with the addition of Alita Dubois. The English girl would help Cheryl with all her needs in the future since they were cut from the same cloth, but Ali just wanted to live a normal life with normal people.

"Cheryl, since you're in such a giving mood." Everyone looked over at Betty to see what she was going to ask. "I was wondering if the Vixens would help to save Pop's." Cheryl let go of Ali's arm, so she could turn towards Betty.

"Oh Betty, I did not emerge from the depths of Sweetwater River and the flames of Thornhill to allow my Vixens to sling milkshakes at some death cursed diner. The answer is a double cherry on top, no." Cheryl looked at Betty and Veronica with raised eyebrows before using her hands to shoo them away.

"Hold on," Everyone stopped what they were doing to look back at Ali. "I know I'm new here, but is this the place where a father was shot?"

"Yes, that is where Archie Andrews dad was shot, it was so very tragic." Cheryl informed Ali of what had happened just a few days prior. "Well, if this Pop's place is so very special to so many people, and I know it is, then shouldn't you want to help? So what, one person got shot. There are so many places in London where people have been shot and killed and they weren't shutdown." Ali stated her case to Cheryl and the rest of the Vixens.

"That's very sweet of you to say, but why does it matter to you?" Josie asked the new girl why she was stepping up to help a diner she had never even been to.

"Well I've heard about how special this diner is and my mother spent her high school years here and she has a lot of memories at that diner. I would like to keep it open for that. Just because someone was shot doesn't mean that the diner should be closed." Veronica was stunned by the black haired girl beside her. She had continuously said that she didn't want to make any friends, but here she was, standing up for a diner that she knew nothing about. Veronica was in awe of this girl from another country.

"Well since you think it is a good idea then I'm sure there is some use to that diner. Vixens," Cheryl looked at her Vixens and clapped her hands together. "we will help save Pop's."

"Really? Thank you, Cheryl." The red head turned to the blonde girl and raised her hand,

"Don't thank me, thank Ali. She really is like her father."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: An Unwanted Encounter**

"What did you think of your first practice?" Ali placed her backpack onto her back before turning around and looking at Veronica Lodge. "It was definitely eventful." Ali answered the question.

"Well you're definitely coming back to the next practice. You're now a Vixen for life." Cheryl came from around the corner of the change room.

"I'll remember that. Well, I'm going to get going now." Ali tried to walk out the room, but she stopped when the blonde girl, Betty, called her name.

"Do you want to come with us to grab something to eat?" Ali turned around and made eye contact with the blonde girl. She could see Veronica pleading with her eyes for Ali to join them, so she could continue to talk and get to the new girl.

"I'm good. I'm just going to head home. Have fun." Ali awkwardly waved to the group before turning back around. When she grabbed the door handle and opened up the door she heard Betty say one last thing,

"Thank you, for helping with Pop's." Ali didn't say anything or turn around. She just raised up her right hand above her head and waved before walking out the door. Ali didn't care about what happened during practice. The curly haired girl just wanted to make her way home. She walked down the corridor and turned the corner while looking down at her phone before bumping into someone's broad chest.

"Whoa, look out newbie." Ali looked up when she felt two large hands hold onto her upper arms. She looked up and was met with the same tall Korean man from before.

"Oh yes, it's the pervert." Reggie let go of Ali's arms and placed a hand over his heart – pretending that he was hurt.

"That hurt, new girl. My name's Reggie, football team captain." Reggie winked at Ali, but she just crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on her left leg.

"Why are you winking? Got something in your eye?" Reggie was taken a back by Ali's comment. Who did Ali think she was? Did she not realize that she was being hit on by one of the most popular and hottest guys in the school?

"I see that you joined the cheerleading team. Looks like you're going to have to get used to me." Reggie took a step forward, so he could slowly close the gap between Ali and himself.

"I know that every girl cheers for someone and I'd be honoured if you cheered for me."

"I'd rather cheer for your blonde friend that joined you at my locker yesterday, sorry." Ali placed her hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back, so she could walk around him. Ali placed her headphones in her ears as she began to walk away.

Meanwhile, Reggie starred at the curly haired girl who walked away from him for a second time. The sight of her walking away was beautiful as his eyes traced every curve and watched her waist sway from side to side. Her jeans fit her perfectly and her hair swayed in its ponytail. Reggie was attracted to the mysterious girl that wasn't attracted to him in the slightest. He was trying to figure out how he was going to talk to her without her leaving him again, but maybe joining the Vixens was a sign that this would get easier for him? Little did he know, there was a black haired girl watching the whole transaction.

She stayed to see how Reggie looked at Ali longingly as she walked down the hall. Veronica Lodge believed in love at first sight and she believed that Reggie had now fallen for the girl known as Alita Dubois. Veronica ran after Ali down the street. She tried calling her name, but she noticed that she never turned around, so she was probably listening to her music again. Veronica quickly reached the girl in front of her and grabbed onto her shoulder. Ali spun around, grabbed onto Veronica's wrist and bent it outwards before she saw Veronica's face.

"Why did you sneak up on me?" Ali asked the dark lipstick wearing girl in front of her before letting go of her wrist.

"You've got one hell of a grip, huh?" Veronica said as she rubbed her wrist.

"I wanted to talk to you." Veronica and Ali began to walk together down the sidewalk.

"So what is it that was so pressing that you needed to speak with me now?" Ali questioned.

"Reggie." Veronica said his name so simply like Ali would know where she's going with this.

"And?" "I saw you two talking outside the gym. Was that the first time you've talked to him?"

"No, he stopped by my locker yesterday to be a pervert." Ali explained her previous interaction with the captain of the football team.

"Oh really? And what do you think of Reggie?" Ali clocked on where Veronica was going with this conversation as they made their left.

"Look, I'm not interested in being in a relationship. It's too much hassle for someone who doesn't even plan on staying here." Ali told Veronica.

"Well, I saw the way that he looked at you and I will tell you this, Reggie Mantle doesn't look at any other girl in the entire school the way he looked at you tonight while you were walking away." Veronica smiled at herself as she thought back to the way Reggie looked at Ali. She wanted everyone to be in a happy relationship since she was happy with Archie.

"It's only because I'm new. I also know that you Americans are so in love with an English accent that you think all of us are gorgeous just because of it." Ali waved off the idea of Reggie being interested in a girl that he barely knew.

"That's part of it, not going to lie. Even I find you attractive and I have a boyfriend." Veronica joked with her new friend.

"Well anyways, Reggie's hot, I'll give you that. He looks like he should go into modelling and I bet sex with him would be out of this world, but I'm still not interested in him and he isn't interested in me, so you can get that fantasy out of your head." Ali told Veronica.

"Alright, but I'm going to put money down on this fantasy of mine." Ali rolled her eyes at Veronica's comment.

"This is my turn. I'll see you tomorrow." Ali waved goodbye to Veronica before turning down her street and walking towards her new house. She placed her headphones back in her ears for the remainder of her walk. Once she walked in through the front door she was asked many questions by her parents who had dinner covered and in the oven – waiting for her.

"I joined a team." Ali announced as she sat down at the dinner table with her plate in front of her.

"Vraiment?" Theo looked at his daughter stunned. Within one day, she took her parents advice and joined a club of some sort. He began to think that his precious daughter was changing for the better.

"Oui." Ali confirmed.

"Which one?" Cecile asked her daughter as she held her husband's hand.

"The River Vixens." Ali took a bite of the pasta that was in front of her.

"My old cheerleading team?" Cecile looked at her daughter with a stunned expression, but Ali took no notice of it since she was eating her pasta.

"Oui."

"That's great news, mon chou." Theo congratulated his daughter. Ali shrugged her shoulders as she continued to eat.

"Well, being on that team were some of my best memories and some of my worst. Il y a beaucoup de politique dans cette équipe." Cecile explained to her husband and her daughter.

"Well I can't go back now. I'm pretty sure that they'll knock down our front door if I do." Ali laughed at herself and her parents took note that they had finally seen their daughter laugh and smile for the first time in weeks.

"Did you make any friends?" Cecile asked her daughter. Ali shrugged her shoulders as she began to eat her salad.

"I don't know if I'd call them friends, but there's this one girl who won't leave me alone." Ali was talking about Veronica Lodge, the girl who seemed to have taken a real liking to the curly haired girl.

"Well maybe you should give her a chance, please? Fais le pour moi." Theo said. All he ever needed to do was ask his daughter to do something nicely and she would give him the world. Cecile rolled her eyes at how easy her rebellious daughter cracked for her father.

"D'accord." Ali sighed as she took the last bite of her salad.


	4. Chapter 4

**So...someone left me a very nice review asking for french translations for all my non-french readers and...that's pretty smart! So for all the complicated french words/sentences/phrases - there are translations at the bottom of the chapter!**

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 **Chapter 4: Socks Can Keep Me Warm**

The mall was a small one. It was one floor with one bookstore and a few clothing stores. There was the odd jewellery store and store for hygiene, but it was nothing outrageous. Ali took note of the few stores she would be willing to go in on a later date. However, right now, she was on a mission – she needed new ankle socks. If there was one thing in this world that Ali cared about dearly, it was her ankle socks. So she sifted through the many pairs of socks that were hanging on the wall. She wanted the cutest pair that she could find, so she would have some sort of comfort with her wherever she went.

"Well well well, if it isn't our hard ass British bombshell." Ali turned around to see Reggie walk up to her. His hands were in the pockets of his leather jacket while he wore a plan white shirt underneath.

"And isn't it our local pervert or should you be renamed to stalker?" Ali asked as she smirked at the tall boy in front of her.

"Maybe it's fate. Maybe we're meant to be together." Ali looked up at the 6'1 boy in front of her. Reggie stood there with his perfectly sculpted hair that sat on top of his perfectly sculpted head.

"I fairly doubt that. I'd like to think that God has bigger plans for me than someone like you." She retorted as her eyes scanned his body.

"My plans are big enough, don't you worry." Reggie smirked at Ali after making his sexual innuendo. Ali stood – unimpressed.

"So you're into socks with stars and bows on them, huh? I would've never guessed that." Reggie pointed out the socks that Ali was holding in her hand.

"They're comfy. Didn't know I needed your approval on my socks."

"You don't have to be so mean to me. I just want to be friends." Reggie tried to show the girl in front of him that he meant no harm. It was purely by chance that he had seen her at the back of the store. He had walked in to just see if they had any new sweaters for him to buy.

"I know what your intentions are, Reggie and I don't want any part of it." Ali tried to step around Reggie, but once he moved a little over to the side, she was blocked once again.

"Come on Ali, you're making me sad now. Come have lunch with me." Reggie offered.

"I would rather starve, but thanks for the offer though." Ali said before finally pushing past him, so she could pay for her socks. Reggie stood there and watched as Ali paid for her socks and left. He had now been rejected by the same girl three times, but instead of feeling frustrated – he felt nothing but excitement. Reggie looked in front of him and saw a pair of socks with tiny Korean flags all over them. With a smirk on his lips, he picked up the socks and quickly made his was to the cash register.

Ali walked into her house with her new socks in her bag. Once she dropped off her stuff in her room, she went to change into some comfortable clothing. Ali made her way back downstairs and saw her parents cuddled on the sofa, watching TV.

"I have something to tell you guys." Her parents paused their program before turning to their daughter and giving her their full attention.

"Oui, mon chou?" Ali sat down on the chair that was beside the sofa before speaking,

"They're closing down Pop's." Cecile quickly sat up at this news with a shocked look on her face.

"Quoi?" Cecile could not believe the information that she had just received. Pop's was the diner that housed her for her teenage years while being in this town. She went there after every practice, date, argument, game and so much more. She had met all her friends there. That was the first place she had gone to when she arrived here and it was the last place she had gone to before she had left.

"A man named Mr. Andrews was shot there or something, I don't know the details-"

"Fred Andrews?" Cecile practically yelled out the mans name. Her husband and daughter looked at her with quizzical looks since they did not know what was happening at the moment.

"He was a friend of mine from high school. He was so nice and gentle, I can't believe that anyone would ever want to hurt him."

"Well…he was shot." Ali stated.

"You could try to be a little more empathetic, mon chou." Theo suggested to his daughter. With a roll of her eyes she leaned back into the chair and sat with her legs open.

"There's no easy was of saying it, papa."

"Essayer." Ali leaned forward and now rested her arms on her thighs as she looked at her parents.

"Well, the good news is, he's alive and back at home apparently. That's not what I'm here to tell you though." Theo made a gesture for Ali to continue speaking.

"We're having a get together to help save Pop's-"

"I'm in." Cecile jumped the gun with her answer.

"That's great, anyways…we're all heading to Pop's tomorrow to show him soutien. The Vixens will be helping to serve tomorrow and everyone is encouraged to come and eat. Nous voulons que les gens s'amusement." Ali explained tomorrow evening to her parents.

"Of course we will be there, vous n'avez pas besoin de demander." Cecile told her daughter. Ali nodded her head at her mothers eagerness.

"You will also be able to see some of your old friends, maman." Ali told her mother. Cecile grabbed her husbands hand and gave it a pat while she looked at him.

"I'm so excited for you to meet some of my high school friends. They're so incredibly nice!"

"I'm sure they're lovely, mon amour." Theo said as he patted his wife's hand. Ali made a gaging sound from her chair before standing.

"Since you two are going to make me sick, I'm going to go upstairs."

"Ne t'inquiète pas, you'll find someone one day." Cecile told her daughter before kissing her husband again. Ali continued to make gagging sounds as she walked out of the room and back upstairs. Her parents were still so incredibly in love with each other that it really did make her sick sometimes.

At school the next day Ali went to open up her locker like she did every morning. However, she was met with a surprise inside. There was a pair of grey socks that had small Korean flags scattered all over them. A note was attached to the socks that read,

 _Maybe I can help keep you warm too?_

Ali shook her head as a small smile played on her lips. She placed the note on her locker door before closing it and heading to class.

* * *

soutien = support

Nous voulons que les gens s'amusement = We want people to have fun

vous n'avez pas besoin de demander = You do not need to ask

Ne t'inquiète pas = Do not worry

 **So I'll put up the french translations for the more complicated sentences/phrases for you guys here from now on, okay?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Pop's**

Ali walked into the diner for the first time in her short shorts and her Pop's t-shirt. It was definitely an old fashioned American diner. She noted the jukebox on the other side and decided to see if it held any of her favourite songs from the 80's later on.

"Ali! You're finally here!" She turned around and saw Veronica come up to greet her.

"Hi Veronica. Sorry I'm late. I didn't really have a ride here." Ali admitted.

"You should've called me, I would've had my driver come and get you on our way." Veronica said. Ali noted that Veronica had a driver at her disposal and wasn't afraid to say so.

"I don't have your number." Ali admitted.

"Oh my God I totally forgot to give it to you. Betty!" Ali looked over and saw that Betty was talking to a young man with black hair that was covered by a grey beanie. The blonde walked over to the two with a smile.

"What is it?" She asked the pair.

"Ali doesn't have our numbers. How can we expect her to be our friend if she doesn't have our numbers?" Veronica told her best friend. Betty shook her head as she smiled at Veronica.

"Then we'll just have to fix that, won't we? Pass me your phone." Ali did as she was told and unlocked her phone before passing it to Betty. The blonde quickly placed her contact information inside the phone before handing it to Veronica. Once the black haired girl was done, she handed the phone back to her new friend.

"Now you have no excuses, if you ever need us, call us." Veronica stated. "You haven't met Betty's boyfriend! Come with us." Ali was confused as she was pulled to the counter. She was placed in front of the black haired boy from earlier.

"Jughead this is Ali, Ali this is Jughead." Betty introduced the two individuals to each other. They exchanged pleasantries as Ali noted the interesting name. She was beginning to think that this town was in some parallel universe with all the interesting names she was running into here.

"So you're the new girl from England, huh?"

"I am." Ali said. She was also beginning to notice that everyone knew that she was British.

"What brings you to the small town of Riverdale?" Jughead questioned the young lady in front of him. Ali didn't want to answer that question because she really didn't know how to, but luckily Veronica came to the rescue without even knowing,

"Let's not talk about that. An even more important question is – do you know how to roller blade?"

"I do." Veronica was handed another pair of roller blades from one of the other Vixens.

"Then put these on. We're bringing this diner back in style." Veronica informed her new friend.

"I'd love to, Veronica, really, but I really don't want to." Veronica shrugged as she placed the roller bales back down onto the ground.

"No worries, but you know what you can do for us?" Ali raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Let us post a video of you telling everyone to come to Pop's. I know everyone at school is dying to meet the new girl!" A red flag was raised immediately in Ali's head. She couldn't do that.

"I'd rather wear the roller skates, to be fair." Veronica was about to question Ali's decision, but said no more. She handed her the roller skates and Ali quickly placed them on her feet. "You can tweet that I'm here, but no photos or videos, okay?" Betty and Veronica didn't question it, but Jughead narrowed his eyes as he watched the new girl that was talking to his girlfriend and her best friend. Why was she being so suspicious? What exactly was she hiding?

Pop's began to fill up with people as the night continued. Ali was seen rolling around in her roller blades handing out drinks and food to all the customers. Many of the Riverdale students took this as an opportunity to speak with the new girl. Ali had made a comment to Pop's about so many of the students coming in to see her and he agreed with her statement.

"Alita!" Ali turned around at the sound of her name to see her mother and father standing at the front door of the diner. Her mother was waving her hand while her arm was wrapped about her father's. Ali quickly skated over to them.

"Maman, papa, you're finally here!" Ali greeted her parents.

"Désolé, mon chou. Your mother didn't know what to wear." Ali laughed.

"Well you both look great, come, you can sit over here." Theo and Cecile watched as Ali skated in front of them to a booth near the counter. They noted that Ali looked extremely happy to show them to their table.

"I'll go around and see some of the other customers and then come back here, okay?" Ali told her parents. They nodded their heads and watched as their daughter went off to serve the other customers.

"Cecile?" The black haired woman looked to her right to see the all too familiar black man standing behind the counter.

"Pop's!" Cecile waved over to the man.

"It's been so many years, how have you been?" Pop's leaned against the counter, so he could have a better look at the woman in front of him.

"I've been well. This is my husband, Theo." Pop's waved to the curly haired man.

"Of course you managed to find a handsome man. You are one lucky man, Theo." Pop's spoke to the couple. Theo reached over and grabbed onto Cecile's hand,

"I know I am." Cecile patted the top of Theo's hand.

"You're going to be seeing a lot of familiar faces, Cecile." Pop's told the woman in front of him.

"I know. I wonder if they'll all recognize me…" Pop's laughed at Cecile's comment.

"You were one person who was hard to forget, Cecile. I think you have no worries about that." Pop's laughed. Theo looked over at his wife and saw that she was smiling, but he didn't see that she was slightly nervous. She was ready to come back to Riverdale, but she wasn't completely ready to see all the familiar faces.

Ali, on the other hand, had taken her skates off and made her way outside. She had heard that Josie and the Pussycats would be performing and she was curious about the hype. So she stood outside the diner with all the other individuals who came to support Pop's. Cheryl was singing with the two other members on top of the roof. They were only singing a cover, but it was a decent one, so Ali was enjoying her time watching them perform.

"They're pretty good, huh?" Ali looked up to see Reggie standing next to her in his varsity jacket.

"I was wondering when you would appear, stalker." Reggie had a smile appear on his lips as he heard Ali 's comment.

"Did you get my present?" He asked.

"I did. I'm wearing them right now." Ali smirked at the thought of Reggie being internally excited about her wearing the socks he had bought her.

"Can I see?" Ali lightly laughed at his question and Reggie felt his heart flutter in his chest. It was the smallest laugh, but he felt a sense of accomplishment wash over him. This hard-nosed British girl was laughing.

"I bet you'd only want to see me in that." Reggie's head almost snapped off with how fast he turned to look at Ali. He couldn't believe the sexual innuendo that had just escaped her lips.

"Well, if you're offering…" Ali applauded Josie and the Pussycats before she started walking away from Reggie. She quickly spun on her feet, so she would be walking backwards. She looked right at Reggie and said,

"You're biting off more than you can chew, captain." With that, she spun back around and walked back into the diner, so she could continue to serve food. Ali waltzed over to the booth her parents were sitting in. She sat down beside her father and gave her mother a smile.

"Why are you so happy, mon chou?" Theo asked his daughter as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave them a light squeeze.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just happy you two are here." Ali said as she leaned her head on her father's shoulder.

"Your mother has been very popular tonight." Theo stated. Ali sat up straight, so she could give her mother her full attention.

"Arrête. It's nothing special." Cecile tried to shake off what her husband had just said to their daughter.

"C'est vrai! So many people have been coming up to your mother saying hello and asking how she is. I didn't realize just how popular your mother used to be." Theo told his daughter. Ali looked at her mother with a surprised face.

"Like who?" Ali questioned her mother.

"Well first it was Pop's, then the Lodge's, then Alice Cooper and we were talking about Fred. I heard he still lives in the same house, so I was thinking about going to see him tomorrow." Cecile spoke to her daughter.

"Wow, you're telling me to make friends, but look at you, already know half the town." Ali joked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dubois." The trio looked to their left and saw Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper standing in front of them.

"Oh, papa, maman, this is Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper." Ali introduced the two girls to her parents. The two girls shook hands with Ali's parents.

"It's so nice to meet Ali's friends. Are you two also on the Vixens?" Cecile asked the two girls.

"We are. We also heard that you were on the Vixens." Veronica pointed out.

"I was, but that was a long time ago." Cecile laughed.

"Maybe you can come by one of our practices and see our new routines?" Betty asked Cecile.

"I'll definitely think about it." Cecile said. The sound of the bell for the door of Pop's chimed. Veronica and Betty looked over at the door and saw the familiar red headed boy walk into the diner.

"Excuse us, I want to go say hello to my boyfriend." Veronica and Betty both left to go say hello the Archie Andrews while Ali was left with her parents in the booth.

* * *

 **I know I know! I posted late...again! Don't pelt me with any peanuts please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Introducing Chemistry**

Ali stood at her locker with her new timetable in hand. Chemistry was added to her timetable and she was pleased that it was. Ali scanned over the new messages on her phone and quickly replied to everyone that messaged her. When she felt someone tap her shoulder she rolled her eyes. This was becoming too much of a reoccurrence. She turned around to meet Betty and a tall man with perfectly brown quaffed hair.

"Hi Betty." Ali greeted the blonde girl.

"Hey Ali. I wanted to introduce you to Kevin. He's been dying to meet you." Betty smiled at her best friend. Kevin was now embarrassed that she had said that. Yes, he was extremely excited to meet Ali because she was British, had amazing fashion sense and could apparently speak French.

"Gosh, Betty, did you have to say it like that." Kevin looked at his best friend before looking back at Ali."I just wanted to know what all the hype was about with our resident new girl."

"Well, as you can see, nothing much." Ali said as she waved her hand.

"With that accent, you have everything going for you. You just need to speak and I swear that everyone will be eating out of the palm of your hand." Kevin told Ali. Ali laughed at what Kevin had said and Betty was surprised. She had known the girl for a few days and she never once smiled unless she was with her parents.

"Finally, someone says what I've been thinking." Ali agreed with Kevin. Ali's next sentenced was stopped by the sound of her cellphone. She excused herself and answered the call since it was her mother. Kevin and Betty stood in the corridor amazed by Ali's French. Kevin grabbed Betty's arm and allowed for his mouth to drop. If Kevin could fangirl at that moment he would. The sound of the beautiful language that is French filled his eardrums and gave him goose bumps.

"Do you hear her? How is she still single?" Kevin gasped.

"She's been here for like…a week? Why would she already be in a relationship?" Betty asked her best friend as she looked at him with a disbelieved look.

"I've been hearing all the guys saying that she's the hottest ticket right now and she is, but hearing her speak French…even I would want to bang her now." Kevin joked. Betty slapped his arm and Ali turned around after putting her phone away.

"Anyways, it was great talking to you two, but I should head to class now. I'll see you two around." Ali didn't hesitate to turn on her heels, so she could quickly finger out a text to her friends and head to her chemistry class.

Ali walked into her chemistry class and sat down at her spot. She was delighted that a certain football captain had yet to arrive. As she began to grab her materials out of her bag, her book fell out and ended up sliding a bit away from her. Ali was about to get up when she saw a hand reach for it.

"Do I make you so nervous that you're dropping things now?" Ali almost rolled her eyes at Reggie's comment. She quickly snatched her book form his hands while he sat down beside her.

"What are you going to drop next? Your panties?"

"I'd rather be a virgin for the rest of my life." Ali said as she looked forward and watched the teacher walk into the room.

"How about you drop me your number instead?" Reggie asked. Ali looked at Reggie through the corner of her eye before making gagging sounds.

"That was so cheesy that I want to throw-up." Reggie couldn't help, but smile.

"Okay fine, let's cut the cheese then." Ali looked over at Reggie with a raised eyebrow. She began to wonder if Americans really did have weird sayings that she didn't understand.

"Don't people use that when they're going to fart?" Ali questioned.

"Technically, but you just said cheesy…so I though that this would make sense…anyways, look, let's go out or something. I mean, you need friends, right? At least give me a chance to prove myself to you."

"No thank you." Ali rejected Reggie and turned her attention back to the teacher since class was about to start. Reggie was about to say something, but the teacher cut him off since he started class.

Throughout the rest of the period, Reggie examined the black haired girl beside him. He watched her bored expression as she would write notes on her page and doodle in the margins. When he looked at her badass exterior, he wouldn't have thought that she'd be doodling cupcakes and flowers in the margins of her pages. Reggie almost found it too endearing. The other girls in the class would watch Reggie as he watched his partner. They would make snide remarks about the new girl and how Reggie was only talking to her since he wanted to get laid. Their jealousy was showing as obvious as their cleavage.

After class, Ali packed her bag and was ready to move onto her next class. She walked out of the door and into the corridor, but was stopped when she heard someone say her name. Ali turned around and saw Reggie push his way to her, so he could stand in front of her.

"Look, I was being serious about taking you out, so here." Reggie handed Ali a slip of folded paper. "It's my number. I'm going to Pop's tonight to have a burger, so if you want to join then let me know. Don't worry, it'd only be me and you." Reggie winked at Ali before running to get to his next class. Ali didn't say anything. She just shoved the slip of paper into her back pocket and began to make her way to her next class.

After a long day at school, Ali walked into the house and threw her bag upstairs. She quickly changed out of her clothes and threw on a pair of leggings with a fluffy sweater. She lied down into her bed and pulled her covers over her. A nice nap would be perfect for Ali.

"Alita! Qu'est-ce que tu fais?" Ali groaned at the sound of her mothers voice. She pulled up her covers and covered her face.

"Maman, arrêtez." The sound of her mother's footsteps grew as she made her way to Ali's bed and ripped the covers off of her.

"Are you really going to take a nap? Don't you have something better to do?" Ali picked up her pillow and threw it on the back of her bed, so she could dig her face into her mattress.

"Non, maman." Ali's words were mumbled as they were being said into the memory foam underneath her.

"Se lever. You can unpack the boxes in your room." Ali groaned some more after hearing her mother's statement. Cecile grabbed Ali's pillow and stood up from her bed. Ali sat up in her bed and looked at her mother with a face filled with disbelief.

"Where are you going with my pillow?" Ali asked.

"You can have it back after you unpack these boxes." Cecile gestured towards the pile of boxes that were on the opposite side of Ali's room.

"Ugh! Maman! Tu ñ'es pas juste!"

"I will call your father and he will make you unpack those boxes." Cecile waited for her stroppy teenage daughter to have another rebuttal, but when she did not, Cecile smiled to herself and walked out of Ali's room. Ali lied back down on her mattress and pulled her blanket on top of her again. She could sleep without her pillow, right? Ali debated this thought until she realized that her mother would come back into her room and take her blanket away from her too, so she quickly got up and made her way to her boxes.

Ali began to unpack her previous life from these boxes. She began to hang up her posters and pictures all around her room. The collage that her friends made her went right beside her bed, so she could turn and see it whenever she wanted. Her box that had the Union Jack flag printed on it sat on her bookshelf after she placed all the books she had collected over the years. Ali enjoyed reading – that was a trait she had picked up from her father. She could easily lose herself in a book for hours and finish it in one sitting if she really wanted to. Polaroid's that were taken were placed on a string with clothing pins. She hung them up above her desk, so she could look at them while she worked. She placed a very special picture of her family on the edge of her desk, right beside her bed, so she could see it. The picture held a happy memory for Ali. Her two parents behind her as she had her large goofy grin. Her black curly hair was short and pinned back with some pink pins her mother had bought her. Theo stood with his hands on Ali's shoulders as he flashed the camera with a grin. Ali stood in between of two boys who looked scarily similar. Ali placed her arms around each of the boys necks and pulled their faces to her, so their cheeks were pushed up against hers. All three children held the same giant grin. The two boys also had curly black hair that sat as a mop on top of each head. Ali traced her fingers across the picture.

"Oh Mathias. Oh Clovis…tu me manques."

* * *

Qu'est-ce que tu fais = What are you doing?

Se lever = Get up

Tu ñ'es pas juste = You're not fair

 **Oooooo looks like Ali and Reggie have Chemistry together ;) Hehehehehehe AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T POST YESTERDAY! The Wifi was out across the whole city...don't even ask**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Who is she?**

"I've unpacked everything now." Ali announced as she waltzed into the kitchen. Cecile was standing at the sink washing her dishes as she looked over at her daughter.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Cecile asked her daughter. Ali jumped up onto the counter and sat on top of it.

"Why aren't you working, anyways?" Ali began to swing her legs as she watched her mother finish up the dishes and grab a hand towel, so she could dry her hands.

"I've been unpacking, Alita. How else do you think all the dishes ended up in the cupboard?" Ali rolled her eyes at her mothers comment.

"I was just wondering."

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Cecile asked her daughter.

"I live here?" Cecile sighed as she hung up the towel once more.

"It's a Friday night, shouldn't you be out with friends enjoying your teenage years?" Ali jumped off the counter and stretched out her back.

"I thought you'd enjoy my company more." Ali said as she turned around, so she could open the fridge door.

"Here. Take this." Ali looked over her shoulder and saw her mother hand her some folded up money.

"What's this for?" Ali closed the fridge door, so she could take the money that her mother was holding.

"Go out. Anywhere! I want you to make friends, Alita." Ali reached over the counter and grabbed the money from her mother.

"I'll take the money and go back to my room." Ali said.

"Non. You will go outside and meet up with someone. What about those lovely girls we met at Pop's?" Cecile remembered the raven haired girl and the blonde haired girl that introduced themselves to Theo and herself.

"They're okay. Veronica seems a little in her own world. Betty seems okay, just a little too 'clean' for me." Ali shrugged her shoulders as she spoke to her mother.

"Fine then. Be here and rot in your room." Cecile threw her hands up in defeat. She just wanted her daughter to make friends.

"Sounds good to me." Ali said as she turned around and went to go make her way upstairs.

"However," Ali stopped in her tracks on the stairs at the tone of her mother's voice. "Your father and I would really like some alone time."

"Ew! Maman! Vraiment?" Ali covered her ears and ran up the stairs to her room. She heard her mother yell up to her,

"Just get out the house if you don't want to hear anything!" Ali sighed and flopped onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow.

Her parents were busy with their perfect marriage while Ali had no one to even speak to. She turned her head and looked at her phone on her bedside table. She thought that it wouldn't be such a bad idea if she sent out a text. She did need to get out of the house now. The black haired girl grabbed her phone from her desk and held it to her face and searched for the recently added contact in her phone.

 _Pop's. 7:30PM._

That's all her text message said and that's all it needed to say for the receiver. They got the message loud and clear and gladly began to get ready in order to meet the British girl at Pop's. Ali looked over to her closet and contemplating on changing, but decided against it. She looked at the time and figured that if she left now then she'd reach the diner in time. With heavy feet, Ali grabbed her headphones and placed them in her ears before grabbing her purse and leaving the house. It was a quiet walk to the diner. Ali saw a few unknown faces pass her on the street, but no one of importance walked by her. With her hands in her pocket, she walked in time with the beat of the song that was playing.

When she reached the diner she took out her headphones and pushed open the door. The familiar ringing sound of a bell chimed as she stepped into the diner. There were a few other students from the local high school sitting in the booths and the odd unknown older couple, but Ali took no note since she was looking for a particular football player. Reggie waved his hand, so she would notice him. He watched as she walked over to him with a bored expression on her face.

"Hey." She slid into the seat in front of him.

"I'm surprised I got a text from you." Reggie said as he smirked at the girl in front of him.

"I needed to get out of the house." She shrugged as she answered him. Reggie was about to reply when Pop's walked over to the two high school students.

"What can I get for you two today?" He asked the pair.

"Just a burger and fries please, with a coke." Reggie ordered.

"Can I have the same, but with extra pickles, please?" Ali ordered.

"Of course. It'll be out shortly." Pop's wrote down the order before leaving the two to continue their conversation.

"So you needed to get out, why? Trouble in paradise?" Reggie questioned the girl in front of him. She chuckled under her breath before answering,

"We came here to get away from trouble. But no. It's the opposite. My parents have a perfect marriage and they need their alone time…you get me?" Ali explained the Reggie. Reggie began to laugh as he pictured how the badass girl in front of him took the news of her paradise having sex.

"What? Feeling jealous?"

"Why? Are you offering your services?" Ali sarcastically asked.

"Hey, I don't come cheap! I'm prime Riverdale material." Reggie shot back.

"That's not what I heard." Ali leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table before placing her chin in the palms of her hands.

"You've been checking up on me, huh?" Reggie's ego became slightly inflated at this information.

"You've been checking up on me, I thought that I'd give you the same courtesy." The two were so engaged in their conversation that they never heard the bell ring – signalling for new customers. Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead all walked into the diner and sat down at a booth. It was the raven-haired girl who spotted the two individuals on the other side of the diner.

"Is that, Ali and Reggie?" Betty turned to look behind her to see for herself.

"That is!" Betty gasped as she looked at her best friend in front of her.

"No way. I thought Ali was just going to pass by this year without socializing with anyone!"

"Just because she doesn't want to be friends with us doesn't mean she doesn't want friends." Jughead explained to his best friends girlfriend.

"I know that, but doesn't she want some girlfriends?" Veronica asked the three people at her booth.

"Ronnie, she's been here for just a few weeks now. She's probably still adjusting." Archie said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"But what do we really know about her?" Veronica asked her friends.

"Her mother is cheerleading royalty." Betty stated a fact.

"She's from England, but she speaks fluent French." Archie added.

"She doesn't talk to any of us." Jughead said.

"And her parents own an international company." Veronica finished.

"What are you getting at, V?" Betty asked.

"I think our new friend is hiding something. It doesn't make sense as to why her parents moved here, out of all places! I think there's a lot to say when it comes to Ali." Ali and Reggie never noticed the four individuals looking over at them as they continued to talk while eating their food. Ali was finally glad to actually talk to someone who didn't have a hidden agenda. Reggie was completely transparent to Ali and she enjoyed that. She liked transparency. It made her life a hell of a lot easier.

* * *

 **I'm sorry I missed last week! I went on vacation! But I'm posting up two chapters today, so here is 7 and next is 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Too Many People**

"You were out quite late, mon chou." Theo stated once his daughter sat down with him and his wife at the breakfast table. Ali had her cup of tea in-between her hands while her mother continued to eat the scrambled eggs that she had made.

"Maman told me to give you two some space last night." Ali said as she took a sip from her mug.

"I still didn't expect you to come home so late. Who were you with?" Theo questioned his daughter. Back home, Ali arriving home at 11PM would be early for her, but this was a new town and they had only been here shy of a month, so this was late for her.

"Theo, let's not put her under investigation." Cecile warned her husband as she placed her hand on his thigh. She was worried that if he did then Ali would not want to continue going out with whoever her new friend was.

"Wow, it's usually maman that is always pressing me for information." Ali smirked as she took another sip from her mug.

"I just want to make sure you're safe." Theo said as he flicked his newspaper, so his daughter would not see his face. Ali laughed as she stood up and grabbed her backpack.

"D'accord. I'm going to school, so I shall see you two when you've finished work." Ali walked around the table and placed a small peck atop both parents' head before walking out the door.

It was a quick walk to school for Ali. She listened to her music as she walked in through the front doors of the school. Ali had become accustomed to the layout of the school now. She made her way to her locker and began to place her stuff inside when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Ali turned around and was met with the pearl necklace-wearing girl, Veronica Lodge.

"Good morning Ali!" Veronica smiled at the curly haired girl in front of her.

"Good morning?" Ali was slightly confused as to why Veronica was speaking with her. However, Ali did know that Veronica did want to be friend her.

"How're you dealing with the homework in English? It's brutal, right?" Veronica began to make small chit chat with the English girl in front of her.

"It's nothing special. English was one of my best subjects, to be fair." Ali said as she pulled out her chemistry book and placed it in her bag before closing her locker.

"Well lucky you! I've always enjoyed English, but Betty's boyfriend, Jughead, he's amazing. He wants to be a writer!" Veronica explained to Ali. Ali gave Veronica a small smile as she placed her backpack onto her back.

"That's great. I'm sure that he'll be amazing. Anyways, I need to head off to chemistry-" Ali pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, trying to show Veronica that she was going the opposite way.

"I'll walk you there! It's always nice to have a friend join you." Ali mentally face palmed herself when Veronica spoke. She figured that Veronica didn't take the hint that Ali didn't want the conversation to continue. Ali turned around and began to walk away while Veronica walked beside her.

"So what's this all about, Veronica?" Ali asked.

"What do you mean?" Veronica didn't understand what Ali was asking.

"I mean…you're friendly and all, but you've never offered to walk me to class, so what's the deal?" Ali looked at Veronica through the corner of her eye.

"I can usually spot when someone wants something, so what is it?"

"Oh Ali-kins, you're too smart for me. Well since you want me to be honest, and I like that you're honest…I saw you last night. With Reggie." Veronica smirked as she looked over at the girl who was walking beside her.

"And your point is?" Ali didn't seem to catch on to why this was such important information.

"Look," Veronica stopped in her tracks and turned to face Ali. "I'll disregard the fact that you'd rather go out with Reggie instead of my friends and myself in order to give you this advice. Reggie is kind of known as a 'player' and I just don't want you to get hurt." Ali sighed since she remembered that she had already had a previous conversation like this one with Veronica.

"I know and we're just friends, so there's no need for you to worry." Ali explained to Veronica.

"Reggie isn't 'just friends' with any girl." Veronica stated.

"Well he's about to be. Thank you for your concern, but I think I can look after myself." Ali said.

"If you say so! I do think you should make it up to me for not going out with me and my friends though, so you should come over to my place and we can all watch a movie together." Veronica smiled at her new friend.

"I don't think that's necessary-"

"Nope, it's happening. I will make the plans with our friends and you can come! If you really want…maybe I'll let you bring Reggie." Veronica winked.

"Veronica, this really isn't-"

"Enjoy your chemistry class! I'm so excited for this movie night now!" Veronica clapped her hands and turned around before walking off to her class. Ali stood in the middle of the busy corridor, stunned. Ali let out a large sigh before turning around and entering her chemistry class.

"You look…annoyed." Reggie pointed out the obvious when Ali sat down at her seat beside him.

"I'm slightly annoyed, stunned, bothered and angry." Ali explained as she took out her book and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Someone's upset you this much?" Reggie took this as an opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulders – welcoming the glares from all the other girls in the classroom and all the stares from the boys in the classroom.

"Tell me who it is, so I can take care of them." Reggie smirked since his arm was around Ali's and he was in such close proximity to her.

"Oh yes, I just need a strong manly testosterone filled man in my life in order to fix all my problems, right?" Ali looked at Reggie and also noticed how close they were.

"Isn't that why you have me?" Reggie smirked as he looked into her eyes. Ali never really noticed how perfectly shaped his jawline was or how plump his lips were. His hair also looked so smooth and touchable.

"I have you, huh?" Reggie began to feel the pace of his heart quicken as he realized that Ali was actually flirting with him. It had only taken him a few weeks to finally have a conversation like this with her, but this was the first time his heart had ever pounded this hard in his chest.

"D-Do you want to hangout tonight?"

"I can't. I have cheerleading practice."

"Then after?" Reggie pushed with another question – hoping to get the answer that he wanted.

"Nope. Try again another day." Ali answered.

"Good morning class." With the sound of the teachers voice, Reggie quickly pulled his arm off of Ali's shoulders and turned to face the board.

* * *

 **Here you go! The second chapter! See you all next week!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Why So Reckless?**

Ali walked into the gym while fixing the ponytail that sat on top of her head. As Ali pulled at her curly locks, she heard someone say her name. The black haired girl looked up and saw Veronica and Betty smiling at her. Ali made her way over to the pair.

"Hi." Ali gave the pair a small smile.

"Hey Ali! How are your classes going so far?" Betty asked the new girl.

"They're okay. There's nothing challenging me though, so I'm slightly bored." Ali explained to the blonde haired girl.

"What about chemistry?" Veronica asked Ali while a smirk played on her lips.

"There's nothing special about chemistry." Ali answered.

"Oh, you can talk about it, Ali." Betty placed her hand on Ali's shoulder. "Veronica told me about Reggie, so don't worry." Ali felt her eyes roll at Betty's sentence.

"There's nothing to speak about." Ali explained. The gym doors opened and in walked the janitor with his mop bucket. Ali took no notice of the man as Veronica and Betty began to look around.

"Don't we have practice today?" Veronica asked out loud. Ali began to look around and even she noticed that there was a lack of individuals in the gym.

"I'll go ask." Betty quickly jogged over to the janitor and began to ask him the question while Veronica and Ali watched. Betty smiled and thanked the janitor before jogging back over to her friends. "Apparently it was cancelled."

"So you're telling me I could've been home right now?" Ali asked.

"I bet Cheryl didn't tell us on purpose." Veronica accused the red headed girl who wasn't around to defend herself.

"I don't care. I'm going to change and go home." Ali sighed as she turned on her heel and began to walk away. She grabbed her hair-tie from her hair and pulled it out. She felt the curls cascade down her back and sway as she walked towards the change room. Ali walked over to her locker and opened it. She pulled off her shirt and her shorts before placing her jeans on her legs.

"Woah…Ali…" The black haired girl looked over her shoulder to see Betty and Veronica staring at her with wide and concerned eyes. However, it didn't take Ali long to figure out that they were looking at her back and not directly at her. She quickly grabbed her shirt and flung it on, so she could place her uniform back in her bag. "Ali…what was that?" Betty asked the mysterious girl in front of her. Ali swung her leather jacket on her arms and placed her backpack on her back.

"Tattoos." Ali answered. She quickly shut her locker door before walking past the two girls in front of her.

"But what about-"Ali cut off Veronica as she pushed open the change room door and yelled back,

"I'll see you tow tomorrow!" As the metal door shut behind the mysterious girl, a new one opened for Veronica and Betty. They saw the intricate lines that were tattooed into her back as words were etched into certain places, jewels were dangling from chains and how they all met with the main centre piece in the middle of her back. However, it was what was underneath those tattoos that the pair was concerned about – the scars that seemed to be never-ending were all the pair could think about.

Ali couldn't hear out of her ears properly. Her mind was racing as her heart pumped in her chest. Sweat began to gather on the girls' forehead as she walked further away from school. The last thing she wanted was to explain herself to anyone in this god-forsaken town where all their lives seemed to be perfect to her. She just wanted to go home and hide in the sanctity that was her bedroom, but Ali's heart jumped out of her chest when she heard the sound of a car horn.

"I've been yelling her name for three minutes! Didn't you hear me?" Ali looked over to her right and saw Reggie in the drivers' seat of his car. He had the window down with his left arm hanging over the edge.

"Sorry, I was just off in my own little world." Ali's words came out so small and quiet. Reggie knew that the girl in front of him didn't sound like the feisty girl that he was attracted to.

"Hey, do you want a ride?" Ali looked at Reggie with wide eyes. She almost looked fragile. "I can take you home." Ali decided she didn't want to go home. She needed to get her mind off of what had just happened. She needed to do something reckless.

"Don't take me home. Let's go somewhere else." Ali told Reggie. Reggie's smile grew at her answer. He was now going to spend even more time with her. Ali quickly walked around the car and sat inside. Ali released a sigh as she placed her head on the headrest. Reggie took in the sight of Ali in his passenger seat. His eyes started at her calves and scanned up her legs. He saw how thick her thighs looked in her jeans. He wanted to reach over and place his hand on the thigh that was closest to him, but he resisted the urge. Reggie's gaze continued upwards as it travelled past her stomach and towards her chest. While Ali had her head tilted back onto the headrest Reggie saw as her chest would rise and then fall with every breath. She had closed her eyes and Reggie could only stare at her plump lips. "Are you going to drive or are you going to just stare at me?" Reggie's head snapped back tot eh road before placing his car in drive and pulling away from the curb.

"I wasn't staring at you." Reggie said. Ali opened her eyes and looked at the boy who was driving. Reggie kept his eyes glued to the road as he also tried to keep his mind from wandering back to the image of Ali's body.

"What car is this?" Ali continued to look around at the leather interior.

"1969 Chevrolet Chevelle." Reggie proudly said. This car was his pride and joy. He had spent a lot of time saving his money in order to buy this car and to fix it up just the way he wanted it. "Do you drive manual?" Ali asked.

"Of course I do." Reggie answered.

"That's a random question." Reggie laughed to himself.

"My mother always said that if he doesn't drive manual then he's not a real man." Ali answered. Reggie smirked to himself.

"There are other ways to see if I'm a man or not." Reggie stopped at a red light and looked at Ali. She looked at him and smirked before smiling.

"You've got backbone, I'll give you that." Ali said. Reggie continued to drive forward once the light went green.

"So where do you want to go?" Reggie asked.

"Let me drive." Ali said boldly. Reggie's head snapped towards Ali. She pointed her index finger back to the road and Reggie quickly turned his head back to the road.

"You're joking, right?" Reggie couldn't believe what had just come out of Ali's mouth. She couldn't be serious.

"You think I can't drive?" Ali raised an eyebrow at the black haired boy beside her.

"No, I know you can, but-"

"Then let me drive." Ali appeared confident to Reggie as she continued to push to let her drive.

"Take me to an open parking lot."

"Fine, but don't throw my car into a ditch, okay? It's my baby." Reggie drove to an empty parking lot and got out of the car. He threw the keys over to Ali and she caught them in one hand. "Woah there, you're catching keys with one hand? Do you think you're cool or something?" Reggie teased as he walked around the car and towards Ali.

"I'm not cool. I'm an experience." Ali said as she walked past him. Reggie turned around to see her spin on her heels, so she could walk backwards. She flashed Reggie a smile and a wink while she showed off his keys before walking to the drivers' door and getting inside.

"Okay, have you ever driven on the right side of the road?" Reggie asked Ali as she started up the car and adjusted the seat, so she was comfortable.

"You know we drive on the right side in France, right?" Ali explained as she put her seatbelt on.

"Wait…you've driven in France? Aren't you from England?" Reggie asked.

"I spent my summers in France with my cousins." Ali answered as she placed the car in drive and took her foot off the brake and began to press the accelerator. Reggie held onto his seatbelt as he prayed to God. He's letting a girl, whom he barely converses with, drive his car all because he finds her incredibly irresistible. Reggie was losing his mind like he was about to lose his life. Ali noticed how tense Reggie was, so she took it slow. She slowly went around the parking lot. She watched Reggie through the corner of her eye. When Reggie began to loosen up and was no longer fearful of his life, Ali stopped the car. "See, now was that so bad?" Her smile seemed so pure and innocent. Reggie could look at her all day.

"No, it wasn't." He said.

"Good. Now let's do this." With that, Ali went full blast. She did donuts around the parking lot. She would drift the car around when she wanted to make some turns. Every time Reggie saw her flick the handbrake up just to flick it back down when she was read, he felt his heart jump to his stomach. His heart was beating as fast as a marching band would hit their snare drum. When Ali had had enough, she gently stopped the car and put it in park.

"What the hell, Ali?" Reggie yelled at her. Ali took the keys out of the ignition and shrugged her shoulders.

"No! Don't give me that 'I don't care' attitude right now! What the fuck was that?" Ali looked Reggie dead in the eye and said,

"I was doing donuts."

"I can see that! Why did you do that?" Reggie asked.

"Because I wanted to." "What if you had smashed into something?"

"But I didn't." Ali seemed so calm as she answered all of Reggie's questions.

"Okay, but you can't just go driving someone else's car so recklessly!"

"I'm sorry." Ali blatantly said.

"And another thing…wait…did you apologize?" Reggie's brain was about to malfunction today. First, Ali is throwing his car around in donuts and then she's apologizing for doing so. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"You're genuinely upset, so I'll apologize and you have every right to be upset." Ali saw the confusion and surprise in Reggie's eyes.

"I'm anti-social, but I'm not a bitch." Ali laughed. With that, she got out of the car and Reggie quickly stumbled out of his side. They met at the front of his car as Ali handed him the keys."If you want me to walk then I understand." As Reggie grabbed the keys from Ali, he held onto her hand.

"I was upset, it doesn't mean that I won't drive you home." Reggie chuckled. "Just give me some warning, next time you want to do donuts."

"Deal." With that, the pair walked to their sides of the car and got inside. Ali told Reggie her address before grabbing her phone and tapping away at the screen while Reggie began to drive out of the parking lot.

"Where did you learn to drive like that?" After the shock, Reggie realized that her donuts were borderline professional and that he was slightly turned on.

"I used to street race." Ali said it so calmly that it surprised Reggie even more. A laugh erupted from his mouth as he took in the information.

"What's so funny? You don't think a girl can street race?"

"Oh no, I'm not laughing at that. I'm laughing at the fact that you always say things so calmly. Like…I should already know that you sued to street race. It's so interesting." Reggie explained.

"I see. Well, I used to street race in England and in France." Ali placed her phone back in her bag before resting against the leather seat again.

"Why?" Reggie asked as he turned onto Ali's street.

"I didn't have a choice to be honest." Ali said. Reggie had pulled up in front of Ali's house. Reggie looked at her with a confused look as she opened the door and placed one foot onto the curb.

"Wait, what do you mean you 'didn't have a choice'?" Ali's back stiffened at the question. She sat there for a few seconds before getting out of the car and placing her hand on the top of the door while smiling at Reggie.

"Thanks for the ride, Reggie. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, Ali-" She shut the door on him and turned around, so she could walk up the stairs and into her house. Reggie watched her walk into her house before sighing and placing his head onto the headrest. "Fuck, Ali. You are an experience."

* * *

 **DAMNNNNN ALI! What is she playing at?! Leave me some comments and what you guys are thinking? We have a bit more to unpack in this chapter, first the scars and now the street racing? And what's with her wanting to let off steam in a dangerous way?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Awkward Conversations**

Ali grabbed her jacket and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Once the curly haired girl walked into the room she saw her father sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper open. Cecile was making her way to the table with her bowl of oatmeal and fruit in her hands. Ali walked over to the already made cup of tea that waited for her on the counter and brought it over to the table where her slice of toast was waiting.

"You were out late last night." Cecile stated as she began to eat her oatmeal. Theo's ears perked up as he heard this information. He placed the paper down on the table in order to give his full attention to the conversation.

"I thought you wanted me to be social." Ali said as she took a bite of her toast.

"I was just surprised that you didn't come home right away. You've been coming home everyday at the same time like clockwork." Cecile said.

"You complain when I'm here and then you complain when I'm not here." Ali sighed as she finished her toast and began to drink her tea.

"Now, now. Let's not have a fight before you leave for school." Theo interjected as he cradled his mug of coffee in his hands.

"I don't want a fight. I'm just stating a fact." Ali pointed out as she pulled out her phone. Her eyes glanced over the time that showed and realized that she needed to get a move on for school.

"I need to get going." Ali gulped down the warm tea and quickly stood up from her seat. She grabbed her backpack that was resting by the wall and placed it on her back.

"Have a good day, mon chou." Theo called out to Ali as she made her way to the door.

"I will! Bye you two!" Ali stepped out of the house and began to walk to school. Her headphones made their way into her ears, so the sound of music could drown out the outside world.

Ali was ticking off ways that she could avoid Betty and Veronica today. After the incident yesterday, Ali made it her mission to stay far away from those individuals. When Ali arrived at school she decided that she would quickly go to her locker and grab what she needed for class, so she could leave without Betty or Veronica seeing her. Her fingers quickly unlocked the lock and she grabbed her textbooks before closing the door. She believed that she was all in the clear, but when she turned around she was met with Veronica and Betty. Ali pulled out her headphones and activated plan B: Act Dumb.

"Hi Ali!" Veronica greeted the girl with the mysterious background.

"Hi Veronica, Betty." Ali said.

"How are you today?" Veronica asked.

"I'm good. You know, just hating school as per usual. How are you guys?" Ali leaned against the lockers.

"We're good. Just tired." Veronica answered.

"English is brutal right now with the essays on Shakespeare." Betty added.

"I find English kind of easy." Ali added.

"Anyways, I have to get going to class-"

"Actually, we wanted to ask you something." Veronica stopped Ali when she grabbed a hold of her arm. Ali looked at Veronica's hand with a shocked expression and Veronica quickly retreated.

"What is it?"

"We wanted to talk to you about what we saw yesterday?" Betty quietly asked, so only the three girls could hear what she had said.

"What do you mean?" Ali raised an eyebrow as she looked at the two girls in front of her. Veronica and Betty exchanged looks as Ali's eyes began to dart around her. She needed a friendly face that she could run to in order to avoid this conversation.

"Ali, we saw your back." Veronica spoke in a hushed tone as she leaned closer to Ali. Then a very familiar laugh was heard from down the hall. Ali's eyes quickly darted over and saw Reggie standing with one of the other boys from the football team. Ali mentally cursed as she realized what she was about to do.

"Oh, that's Reggie. I said that I'd go see him before class. We have a chem assignment to do." Ali lied through her teeth as she moved away from the two girls and waved at them. "I'll talk to you guys later!" Ali then quickly made her way to Reggie. She walked up to him and grabbed his hand. Reggie was shocked at Ali's bold move and looked at his buddy with a grin on his face. Ali clearly wanted Reggie now! She pulled him away from his friend without a single word.

"Woah! What're you doing Ali? Didn't get enough of me yesterday?" Reggie flirted with the girl as he pulled his hand free, so he could wrap it around her shoulders.

"I'm using you in order to get myself out of an uncomfortable situation. Don't flatter yourself." Ali snapped. She was not in the mood for anything fun. She didn't understand why Veronica and Betty would be so interested in her life and her back. What's happened to Ali is none of their business and she was planning on keeping it that way.

"What's wrong, Ali? I don't like seeing you upset." Reggie was concerned for Ali. He saw that she had crease lines on her forehead from her brain going into overdrive.

"It's okay, Reggie." Ali raised her hand and swatted away at his concern, but he stopped in the hallway and grabbed her wrist.

"What're you doing?" Ali asked as Reggie pulled her along and went around a nearby corner in order to arrive at the men's change room. He quickly ushered Ali into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Reggie, what the fuck?" Ali raised her arms as she pointed out the obvious – she was in the men's change room.

"What's wrong, Ali?" Reggie was very stubborn and didn't like seeing Ali upset. He didn't know her very well, but he liked her. Reggie felt his heart jump every time he saw her. His stomach would twist into knots every time she said a flirtatious comment to him or when she would look at him with a smile on her face. These feelings were the reasons as to why he could never see her upset.

"It's nothing." Ali answered.

"Look, I want to help." Reggie took a few steps closer to Ali. He placed her hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. Ali's heart began to beat faster in her chest. Her breathing began to slow down and get trapped in her throat as she looked at his face. They were so close. His lips were full, his jawline was sharp, his eyes were intense and his hair…oh his hair…Ali mentally slapped herself again. She couldn't fall for a guy right now, she had just moved here! She also didn't want to bring Reggie into her messed up life. He was privileged and she wanted him to end up with a nice girl who would keep that balance for him.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me." "I don't like Veronica and Betty that much." Ali wasn't completing lying. She was just going to withhold the truth from him. He didn't need to know the whole story.

"That's what's bothering you?" Reggie was dumbfounded by her response. Why would Ali be so bothered by Veronica and Betty?

"They're trying so hard to be my friends and I don't like it." Ali sighed. Reggie began to laugh at her answer. He was concerned that something major had happened to the girl in front of him, but instead it was something to simple.

"What're you laughing at?"

"I was just so worried! Do you want me to talk to them? We're friends…kind of. Well, Archie is a good friend of mine and he's dating Veronica, so I could talk to him?" Reggie suggested. Ali was slightly flattered by the fact that Reggie wanted to help that badly.

"It's okay. I just don't have anyone to talk to about this." Ali turned down his offer.

"That's because to refuse to make friends." Reggie pointed out the obvious. He was right – Ali didn't make any friends since she's started school and she never planned on making any. She would still text and call her friends back home, but she never bothered with making friends in Riverdale. She found it pointless.

"That's because I don't need to have any friends." Ali retorted.

"If that were true then you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now, now would you?" Reggie asked.

"You dragged me in here. I didn't ask to come here." Ali raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Touché. Either way, you can always talk to me. That's why you have my number." Ali shrugged her shoulders in order for Reggie to drop his hands from her shoulders.

"I'm going to go to class." Ali said.

"Thanks for the advice." Ali began walking past Reggie before he grabbed onto her wrist.

"Can I help you?" Ali looked over her shoulder at Reggie.

"There's this creep running around the town, killing people. We don't know who this is or why they're doing this, but the football team is joining together in order to keep everyone safe. If you're out at night and you feel like you might be followed or any type of danger – call me." Reggie allowed the new information to escape his lips as he looked at Ali. He did just want to keep her safe.

"That's great, Reggie, but I don't think I'll need-"

"Ali." Reggie looked serious. Ali was taken aback by his sudden change of mood. She was surprised that he could be serious.

"If you need me, then call me."

"Okay." With that one word, Reggie released a sigh of relief and let go of her hand.

"We should get to our classes." Reggie pointed out.

"That's why I'm leaving." Ali smirked before she opened up the door and left Reggie in the change room – alone.

* * *

 **Hello! So first thing, I wanted to address a comment that I had received asking where Sweetpea is. Basically, he shows up in the next chapter (spoilers...I know). I've always been told that I make things go really fast in my previous stories, so I'm laying the proper groundwork here. My goal for this story is to make it Sweetpea and Reggie, but yes, it has only been Reggie so far because he's already at RHS with Ali. Sweetpea isn't. I think it's important to remember that Sweetpea does live in the Southside and since Ali is new, she wouldn't know. Anyways, I'll change the story to just Reggie for now and put Sweetpea back on (in the description) when I feel like he's now become a main player, okay?**


	11. Chapter 11

Ali overheard some of the students talking about the Southside in class. Her curiosity for danger was peaked and she made up a plan. After school she pulled out her phone and figured out how she was going to get to this mysterious place that, apparently, was home to gangs, drugs and violence. All the characteristics of a place an individual should stay away from, but all the characteristics of a place that intrigues the likes of Alita Dubois.

With her hands pushed deep into the pockets of her leather jacket, Alita stepped off the bus and onto the street. It seemed like Ali was dropped off to a completely different world. It almost seemed as if the clouds gathered above the Southside on purpose. The road was cleared and there was no one in sight. The surrounding buildings seemed run down. The bricks and wood had faded, windows weren't cleaned, alleys weren't swept and the sounds of motorcycles roared. Ali's head turned to the right and she saw a group of individuals on their motorcycles driving towards her. She eyed them as they past her in a swift motion. However, one stuck out to her, the driver looked as if they had turned their head towards her, under their helmet, as they drove by. The exchanged seemed longer than a few seconds, but it stayed in the back of Ali's head as they continued to drive away. Ali's eyes scanned over the snake embroidered back that said _Southside Serpents_. She shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders and began to walk in the direction of the motorcyclists.

As Ali walked around she viewed her surroundings. The Southside definitely had a different feel compared to where she lived. The Southside almost seemed more comfortable to her though. Even though she walked down the road alone, she felt at home and not out of place. Footsteps stopped Ali in front of an interesting little pub. _Whyte Wyrm_. She looked over and saw the motorcycles from earlier all parked in the parking lot. Her curiosity continued to grow, so she opened up the door and walked inside.

The lights were dimmed throughout the pub. There were pool tables off to the left – probably three or four, Ali wasn't too sure. The bar was to the right of Ali, with wooden stools tucked underneath it. Right in front of Ali was a stage placed on the other side of the bar, but a flight of stairs that lead to an upper level came before the stage. The ambiance in the pub changed as the members of the Southside Serpents all turned to look at the fresh piece of meat that had just walked into the door. Ali didn't recognize this change yet.

With her resting bitch face intact, Ali walked over to the bar and waited for the bartender to walk over to her. The bartenders face was small and held delicate features. She wore lip-gloss on her lips and light pink eye shadow on her eyelids. Her hair was pulled out of her face because her hair sat in a ponytail on the top of her head. Pink highlights ran all throughout it and it complimented her chocolate coloured complexion.

"Are you lost?" The bartender looked at Ali with a playful smile as she took in the new patron in front of her. She was attractive, but the bartender was still trying to figure out whether or not she had a chance.

"Nope." Ali answered. She took another look of her surroundings before looking back at the pink haired girl and resting her arms on the bar, so she could lean forward and say,"I think I found exactly what I wanted." Ali noticed how the bartenders' eyes widened at the sound of her voice. With a smile she stuck out her hand for Ali to shake,

"My name's Toni." Ali shook her hand and introduced herself,

"I'm Ali."

"So, Ali, what's your poison?" Toni asked the attractive girl in front of her. Once Toni heard her accent, she knew she wanted to keep hearing her speak.

"You got bottled beer?" Ali asked Toni.

"I think I'm going to need to see ID." Ali raised an eyebrow and smirked at Toni. Toni felt her heart begin to race.

"Really?" Toni laughed as she leaned underneath the counter of the bar.

"No, I'm joking." Toni placed it on counter in front of Ali.

"It's on me."

"I should pay." Ali insisted, but Toni raised her hand,

"No. You're new. Let me welcome you properly." Toni smiled at Ali and she smiled back,

"Thanks."

"Who's this, Toni?" A males voice was heard from behind Ali as she took a swig from her glass. Ali looked to her right to see that she was met with a guy who had a tanned complexion, black hair that was spiked at the front and shaved at the sides and a smile to match. Ali looked to her left and was met with a man that she needed to look up at. His hair was longer and flopped over to one side – slightly falling onto his forehead in the process. He, however, did not have a smile.

"This is Ali. She's new." Toni introduced the new girl to her friends. "Ali, this is Fangz and Sweet Pea." Toni pointed to the boy on Ali's right first and then to the boy on her left.

"Interesting choice of names." Ali commented as she took another sip of her drink.

"You got something to say about our names?" Ali looked at Sweet Pea through the corner of her eye before taking another sip of her drink. Afterwards, she turned her head to look up at him as she spoke,

"I just said that they're interesting. I didn't say anything else, but since you're getting so defensive…is there something you want to say?" Toni watched the glaring match begin and was worried for Ali's safety. Why was she trying to pick a fight with the tallest guy here? Fangz, on the other hand, was happily watching this display because hearing Ali talk was a major turn on for him. "I think you should leave, Brit." Sweet Pea said to Ali as he emphasized the 't' at the end of the name.

"I'll finish my drink first." Ali calmly said before turning back to Toni and sipping her drink again. Toni realized she needed to deescalate the situation before it got any worse. She noticed that the other Serpents were already looking over at the four of them, so she needed to fix this.

"So, Ali, what brings you to the Southside?" Toni asked.

"I overheard some kids talking about it in class and thought I'd come see for it myself. This place sure has a reputation." Ali explained.

"Class? Where do you go to school?" Fangz asked the new girl beside him.

"Riverdale High." Ali calmly answered.

"Great, the Brit's also one of _them_." Sweet Pea groaned as he leaned against the bar. She was the girl that he saw while he was riding here after school. He mentally slapped himself for even looking at her now.

"I'm not a part of any side." Sweet Pea looked at Ali as she continued to talk. "I'm not from here, don't know if that was apparent to you or not, but I could care less about whatever rivalry you all have with each other. I'm just trying to find a place to hangout." Ali looked over at Sweet Pea and ended with, "If that's okay with you."

"Well, you're welcome here as much as you want." Ali looked at Toni.

"As long as you keep that accent, you can come near me any time." Fangz began to raise and lower his eyebrows in a seductive way, but Ali just slightly laughed to herself.

"Thank you. I'm glad not everyone here is a prick." With that comment, Sweet Pea walked away from the group and towards the pool tables. Toni and Fangz watched him as Ali didn't care at all. The two Serpents exchanged looks before Toni sighed and rested her elbow on the counter, so she could cradle her chin in her palm.

"Sweet Pea doesn't like new people." Toni explained.

"I gathered as much." Ali said. "He's great! I love him to pieces, but he's just careful about who he talks to, you know?" Ali looked over her shoulder and looked at his broad back. _Southside Serpents_. Ali began to look all around her and saw that the serpent was everywhere and placed on every leather jacket in this bar.

"Southside Serpents. Is that your gang?" Fangz was taken aback by Ali's bold question. Did she already figure out that this was Serpent territory?

"The one and only. Why? Are you afraid of getting bit?" Fangz teased the new girl as he leaned in closer to her.

"Oh please. Like I would be afraid of you guys." Ali finished her bottle and Toni took it away from her.

"Why wouldn't you be?" Toni asked.

"Let's just say, you're not the first gang I've crossed paths with." Ali smirked at Toni. The pink haired girl could've sworn she saw something glisten in Ali's eyes. There was something intriguing with this new girl and Toni was completely swallowed into her. Ali knew that she needed to get Sweet Pea on side with her. She needed to assert her dominance and make a name for herself. With that, Ali swivelled around on her stool and looked right at Sweet Pea's back. "Hey, Sweet Pea!" Sweet Pea stopped talking and turned around to look at the new girl that he was beginning to detest with every passing moment. "Let's play a game of pool." Ali jumped off her stool and began to walk over to the giant in front of her. "If I win, you have to stop being a dick."

"And if I win?" Sweet Pea asked.

"You get whatever you want."

"You leave and you never come back." Tension brewed between the two and Ali felt something spark in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. She was excited and thrilled with this proposition.

"Deal."

A pool table match has never been so fun and so intense for the viewers and the players. Ali was solids and Sweet Pea was stripes. Even though everyone in the pub cheered for Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangz silently cheered for Ali. The serpents watched with amusement as they enjoyed Ali's snarky comebacks and the way she bent over to use her pool stick. Sweet Pea noticed as well, he would never admit that he enjoyed watching her bend over, so he would just keep these mental images for himself.

"Come on, Sweet Pea, hit the ball, already." Ali sighed as she waited for him use his stick and hit the striped ball into the side of the pool table – again.

"Stop nagging me, Brit." Sweet Pea said as he pushed the stick and watched the ball hit the side of the pool table. "Fuck." Ali smiled as she bent over and got her stick ready.

"I think you're letting me win." She hit the ball and watched it go into a socket. "I think you want me to stay." Ali hit another ball, but it bounced back after hitting the side of the pool table. She stood up and smirked at Sweet Pea as she said, "Maybe it's because you want to watch me bend over." She winked at him. Sweet Pea looked away and walked past her, so he could try to salvage this game. Ali felt her adrenaline pump and her heart pounding against her chest. That beer had loosened Ali up enough for her to remember just how much fun she can have in life.

"Watch this." Ali announced as she placed the stick behind her back and hit the black ball. Everyone held their breath as they watched it make its way to the corner pocket in the top right of the table. Once it fell in, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd. Ali yelled as she placed her stick on the table. Serpents were asking to buy her a drink and patted her on the back for her victory. "I would love to stay, but I need to get going." Ali told the new group of people she had just spent a good two hours with.

"Why?" Fangz asked.

"It's getting late and the buses will stop eventually." Ali pointed out.

"One of us can drive you home. Especially with the black hood running around." Fangz offered the new girl a ride, but he really just wanted to feel her holding him from behind.

"I'm an independent woman, I think I can made my way home. Besides, when I get my motorcycle then I won't need to take the bus anymore." Ali pointed out.

"You ride a motorcycle?" Toni asked the girl in front of her.

"Of course! Anyways, I had a lot of fun. You'll definitely be seeing me around." With that, Ali walked out of the Whyte Wyrm and noticed that the sun had begun to set. The sky was covered in orange, pink and purple hues. Ali was a badass, but she always enjoyed a good sunset. "Looks like you'll be coming back again." Ali looked to the right side and saw Sweet Pea leaning up against the wall of the pub. Ali walked over to the tall man. Ali noticed that when Sweet Pea was in a well light area then he was actually very attractive. His hair looked very soft and fluffy. Ali mentally shook her brain; maybe that beer had something else in it? "You wanted me to come back, don't lie." Sweet Pea looked up at the sky as he heard Ali's voice.

"I don't have a choice anymore." Ali leaned against the wall beside him and said,

"You have to be nice to me now, so change the attitude." Ali smirked as she remembered that she won the pool table match.

"You're pretty cocky, aren't you?" Sweet Pea noticed this trait.

"I'm just confident." Ali pushed herself off the wall. "Anyways, this was fun, but I need to get going. I'll see you around." Ali waved her hand as she walked away from Sweet Pea. She never looked back, so she never noticed that Sweet Pea was smirking as he watched her walk away. Now that he was alone, he gladly watched her walk away, but all her words continued to ring in his head even when he decided to walk back into the Whyte Wyrm.

* * *

 **Got ourselves some Sweet Pea showing up now! What do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

Ali was buzzing as she got off the bus and began to walk home from the bus stop. She figured to walk the rest of the way because the next bus was another 20 minutes away and she couldn't be bothered with the wait. The sun had set and the street lights were now on. Ali noticed a pair of lights coming from behind her. They were van lights. She figured that the van would pass by her and that she'd never see them again. However, she noticed that the van never passed her. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that the car was trailing behind her. This didn't seem right.

Ali picked up her pace and began to walk a little faster. The van continued to follow her. She then pulled out her phone from her pocket and quickly scrolled to the one name that she knew would come pick her up. She placed the phone to her ear and heard the tone begin to ring.

"Why hello gorgeous-"

"Quit the pleasantries, Reggie." Ali cut off his sentence. "I'm being followed." When Reggie heard those words his entire demeanour changed.

"Where are you?" His voice dropped and he sounded serious. Ali's eyes quickly darted to the closest street sign.

"I'm turning onto Mavis Rd. from Barton Ave." Ali heard the revving of Reggie's engine and the rubbing of his tires on the asphalt.

"I'm on my way, Ali. Stay on the phone with me, okay?" Ali looked over her shoulder and saw the van turn the corner, so it could continue to follow her.

"Reggie…can you hurry the fuck up?" Ali noticed that the van began to pick up slight speed, so she began to job.

"Ali, what's happening?" Reggie yelled into the phone when he heard her breathing begin to quicken.

"It's getting closer. Where the fuck are you?" Ali almost yelled into the phone.

"I'm almost there. I'm turning the corner now. I see the van! I see you!" Ali saw Reggie's car turn onto the street and the headlights light up Ali for Reggie to see. Ali hung up the phone and continued running towards the car. When she was in close proximity, Reggie stopped the car, so him and Archie could run out of the car with their baseball bats. "Ali!" The black haired girl saw a red headed boy run past her with a baseball bat while Reggie ran up to her and wrap his arms around her. "You're okay." Reggie sighed.

"Reggie…why are you hugging me?" Ali kept her arms to her sides as she felt Reggie's large arms wrapped around her. His cologne filled her nose and allowed for her brain to relax into her arms.

"Isn't this what happens when the knight in shining armour saves the damsel?" Reggie held onto Ali's shoulders as he looked down at her. Ali sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'll walk the rest of the way, thanks." Ali pushed Reggie's hands off her shoulders and took a step around him, so she could walk away from him.

"Ali, come on." Reggie called out to her as she began to walk away. She ignored him. "It's not safe."

"I'm good, thanks." Ali stopped walking when she felt someone grab a hold of her wrist and spin her back around. Ali was met with Reggie's face just mere inches away from hers. Her free hand landed on his chest and he looked at her with a concerned face.

"Ali. Stop being stubborn for one minute. Let me help." Ali searched his eyes and only found concern. She sighed with defeat.

"Fine."

"Hey, Reggie! We lost him!" Ali looked over Reggie's shoulder and saw the familiar red haired boy running over to the pair. Reggie let go of Ali's wrist and turned around to see his fried, Archie.

"It's okay. At least Ali wasn't hurt. We'll get him another time." Reggie said when Archie finally reached the pair.

"Did you see anything? What he looked like?" Archie went straight into asking Ali questions about the previous scene.

"No, I didn't see anything. I don't even know if it was a man driving." Ali told the red headed boy. She didn't know this man, so she was confused as to why he was pushing questions onto her.

"Think hard. Are you sure? Maybe when you looked back?" Archie continued to push Ali to answer a question of his.

"Look, Archie. She doesn't know anything." Reggie stood in front of Ali in a defensive stance. "Let's just get her home." Ali noticed how broad Reggie's shoulders were in that instance. Archie sighed and nodded his head.

"Sorry man. Sorry Ali." Archie apologized to the pair. Ali shook it off and walked towards the car. She got into the backseat, so Archie could be in the passenger seat and Reggie was driving.

"I never fully introduced you guys, Archie, this is Ali. Ali, this is Archie." Reggie introduced the two individuals to each other. They shook hands and Ali relaxed in the seat.

"You're dating Veronica, right?" Ali asked Archie.

"Ya and you moved here from England, right?" Archie asked.

"Yup."

"Veronica talks about you. She says you're really nice and that she's looking forward to being your friend." Archie smiled at Ali as he looked into the backseat, so she could see her.

"I don't think you were supposed to tell me that." Ali laughed. That beer was still running through her system or maybe it was the fact that she won a pool game and made a name of herself, but Ali did feel more relaxed today than she did any other day she's been here. Reggie heard Ali laugh and looked at her in his rear view mirror. The sound of her laugh was music to his ears.

"I think you're right, now that I think about it." Archie said. Reggie laughed along with Ali at Archie's secretive sentence.

"Archie, how did you manage to get a girlfriend when you're running around telling people these things?" Reggie joked as he turned onto Ali's street.

"Well at least I have one. Where's your girlfriend?" Archie spat back. Reggie looked at Ali in his rear view mirror. He met her gaze as he smirked.

"I'm working on it." Ali smirked at his words and looked out the window. Reggie pulled into the curb in front of Ali's house.

"Thank you, both of you. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow." Ali thanked the two boys. She opened up the door and stepped out of the car, but she was surprised when she saw the drivers door open and Reggie emerge.

"Let me walk you to the door." Reggie offered.

"I think I'll be fine, Reggie." Ali said. Reggie shook his head and walked around the car.

"Come on, let's go." Ali sighed and rolled her eyes again. Her and Reggie began to walk up the walkway to the house.

"I'm glad you called me." Ali walked up the porch steps and Reggie reached the top of the stairs and stood in front of Ali.

"You're the only person I could call to be fair." Ali said.

"You could've called the police." Reggie said.

"Well, I don't get along with cops, so that's not the best idea."

"Why not?" Reggie asked.

"No reason." Ali shrugged her shoulders.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you…what did you mean about the street racing? Remember? From the other day?" That sentence had been playing on Reggie's mind since he heard it for the first time. Reggie wanted to know more about this mysterious girl. No one knew anything about her, but he wanted to know everything.

"Reggie…" Reggie looked Ali dead in the eye. Ali noticed that he just genuinely wanted to know, but she didn't think that he should know. She knew that it scare him and he'd run away and she wanted to keep him around. He wasn't the brightest light bulb, but she enjoyed his company.

"Please."

"Maybe I'll tell you one day soon, okay?" Ali touched his arm. The two felt a spark fly between them when she did. "I'll see you at school. Goodnight, Reggie." Ali unlocked her front door and went inside, leaving Reggie standing on the porch. Reggie reluctantly walked back to his car. Once he got inside, he saw Archie with his mouth wide open.

"Don't tell me you're trying to date the new girl?" Archie looked gobsmacked.

"Shut-up." Reggie told the red headed boy.

"I swear every guy, who's single, wants her. You think you're going to date her?" Archie asked.

"Oh wait a minute, do you even date?" Archie teased his friend.

"She's different, Arch." Reggie pulled the car away from the curb and continued driving. "I wouldn't do what I do to other girls to her." Reggie admitted.

"Shit, you actually really like this girl, don't you?" Archie asked. Reggie never answered his question. He just focused on the road and the feeling that Ali left when she placed her hand on his arm.

* * *

 **DAMN DAMN DAMN! Reggie likes Ali! Who would've guessed that?! Ali's always managing to stay calm in any situation, huh?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Open Doors, Open Secrets**

Ali walked into the school the next morning with her headphones in her ears and her hands in her pockets. She wanted to text Toni, but remembered that she never got her number. Ali made a mental note to get her number the next time they met. Ali was debating on whether or not she should go to the Whyte Wyrm today after school, but she decided against it after her parents gave her a lecture when she got home last night.

Ali opened up her locker and fetched out her books. Once they were placed into her backpack, she closed the door and was met by Reggie's face. He was leaning against the lockers with his arms folded across his chest. He wore his football jacket on top of his black shirt. His hair was perfect just like the rest of his face. When he smirked at Ali, she could've sworn that her breathing was shortened.

"Good morning." He said.

"Morning, Reggie. How can I help you today?" She sighed.

"It's more like, how can I help you? I'm at your service. Your beck and call. Think of me as your own personal knight in shining armour." Reggie smiled and winked at the black haired girl. Ali rolled her eyes as she slightly laughed and smiled at Reggie's statement. She realized that he wasn't very intelligent, but his heart was in the right place.

"That's cheesy. Also, I don't need one." Ali turned around and began to walk away, but Reggie quickly caught up with her.

"Come on. Do you know how many girls would be dying to be in your situation? Having me at their beck and call?" Reggie spoke as he walked beside Ali.

"Considering that most of the female population at this school has your number…I'm pretty sure you already run for a quick booty call." Ali spoke. Reggie quickly stepped in front of her – stopping her in her tracks.

"Casual sex isn't my thing." Ali cocked up one eyebrow at Reggie. "Okay, it's not my thing _anymore_."

"Why's that?" Ali questioned.

"Maybe I'm looking for something more now?" Reggie suggested as he took a step closer to Ali. The surrounding student body all watched the interaction between two of the most wanted individuals in the school. Girls and boys alike were jealous.

"I think you're going to have to keep looking." Ali smirked as she side stepped Reggie and walked down the corridor to her class. Reggie watched as she retreated. When she turned to go around the corner, she looked back and winked at him before disappearing. Reggie smiled as she shook his head and walked in the opposite direction.

Throughout the day Ali kept hearing about some viral video about this new group called the _Red Circle_. She had no clue as to who or what this video was, so she looked it up as she ate her sandwich at lunchtime. She watched Archie and a group of shirtless men, who wore red masks, on her phone screen. Once the video was over she sighed and put her phone away. She wondered what type of a town she was now living in. There was a serial killer on the loose who is out for revenge and now there's a group of teenage boys who think they can keep an entire town safe.

"God, men are trash." Ali sighed before taking another bite of her sandwich.

Ali continued about her day as per usual. School was the same boring time as it always was. Ali realized that no matter what country you lived in – school was always going to be a place of conformity and pointless socialization. When the last bell rang, she quickly packed up her things and decided to walk home. However, she was stopped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around to see Reggie standing in front of her.

"Hey, Ali."

"Hey, Reggie." Ali greeted the boy in front of her.

"I was thinking that I should drive you home today." Ali cocked her head to one side.

"Why?"

"After last night, I think it'll be safer if you just stay with me, to be honest. That could've been the black hood." Reggie explained.

"Your concern is…appreciated, but I'll be fine." Ali denied his request and turned around, so she could walk away, but Reggie's legs were so long that he was already standing in front of her with two steps.

"Ali…that's it. I'm not taking no for an answer today." Reggie said as he stood in front of her.

"That's not very forward thinking of you, Reggie." Ali said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I'm going to keep you safe, so I'll drive you to and from school."

"That's not necessary." Ali squinted as she looked up at the man in front of her. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"How do your parents feel about the black hood?" Reggie questioned. Ali sighed as she remembered the earful she received last night from her mother. She understood that her mother was worried about her safety, but she didn't understand as to why she now had a curfew. "By looking at your face…I'm going to guess that they don't feel safe with you walking around, alone."

"I don't think any mother is, at the moment." Ali pointed out the obvious.

"So I'll drive. Besides, I'm sure your mother would love to meet me." Reggie flashed Ali his trademark smile and she could've sworn that her heart skipped a beat. One thing that Ali could admit, Riverdale was home to some of the most handsome men that she had ever met.

"Fine, you can drive me, but you're not meeting my mother." Ali sighed.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not." The two began to walk towards the parking lot together.

"Why can't I meet her?" Reggie questioned.

"Because she's crazy and going to think that we're dating the second she meets you." Ali was also afraid of how much she would love Reggie. He was almost everything she ever wanted for Ali. Reggie came from a stable home, most likely didn't hold a criminal record and was only in trouble with regular high school shenanigans. However, Ali was always attracted to everything that Reggie was not.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" The pair made their way to the parking lot.

"Yes, it would. I don't need to go giving her false hope."

"Well shit, you're going to turn me down even before we go out on our first date?" Reggie questioned.

"I didn't know that we were going to go out on a date." Ali said.

"You didn't let me ask you." The pair made their way to Reggie's car and sat inside.

"The answer is no." Ali firmly stated when she sat onto the leather seat.

"You didn't even let me ask." Reggie complained as he started up the car.

"No, Reggie."

"I bet I can make you say yes." Reggie smirked as he began to back out of the parking space.

The ride to Ali's house was a pleasant one with much banter. Reggie and Ali spent most of the time making fun of each other and constantly bickering, but they enjoyed it. Ali was happy that she found someone who could easily take her sarcasm and Reggie found Ali's company comforting. When they arrived at Ali's house, the pair stepped out of the car. Ali gave Reggie a quizzical look.

"What're you doing?"

"Coming inside." Reggie answered as he locked the door.

"No. You're not." Reggie walked over to Ali.

"Yes, I am." Reggie then walked past Ali and began to make his way up the steps of her porch. Ali had to quickly catch up to him in order to stop him from knocking on the front door.

"I told you that you're not meeting my mother." Ali stated.

"If I'm driving you then I should at least introduce myself to your mom. She's going to be wondering who this handsome young man is anyways."

"You're the only reason as to why your ego is so inflated." Ali sighed.

"Can you just go home? I'll talk to her alone."

"Nope. My mother raised me with manners, so let's open up the door and get the ball rolling." Ali noticed that he wasn't going to leave. She sighed at his persistence and his stubbornness. She began to regret letting him into her life. As she fished her keys out of her backpack, Reggie stood their with excitement and nerves running through his bloodstream. He believed that if he got Ali's mother on side then Ali would be more likely to go on a date with him. Once Ali found her keys she placed them in the lock and opened the door. Little did she know, once she opened that door, many of her secrets were going to be unleashed into Riverdale.

* * *

 **Welp! Here comes trouble...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Open House**

"Maman!" Ali called into the house when she stepped inside with Reggie. "You can take your shoes off, here." Ali pointed to the mat beside the door while she took her shoes off. Reggie quickly took his off as well. Reggie scanned the house and thought it was cozy and clean. The hardwood was a dark colour and the walls were white – it almost looked like something out of a magazine. The couches were either light brown of a dark chocolate colour and held coloured pillows on them. Pictures adorned the mantel above the fireplace in the living room to the right.

"Ali?" Reggie looked up and saw a young looking woman walk into the hallway from the kitchen. She wore a plain white blouse over her dark blue jeans. She had dark brown hair that had a light wave to it, but it was nowhere near as curly as Ali's hair. It was cut into a short bob that framed her face. Ali did have the same smile as her mother – large and happy. Reggie watched Ali's mother walk over to the pair and he realized where Ali had received her good looks from. "Who's this?" Ali's mother asked Ali the introduce Reggie to her.

"This is Reggie. Reggie, this is my mother, Mrs. Dubois." Ali introduced the pair. Reggie stuck out his hand and flashed a smile at Cecile.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Dubois." Cecile shook the young boys hand and took in his good-looking face and large frame. She looked over at Ali and was very impressed with this boy she decided to bring home.

"Please, come in!" Cecile turned around and waved her hand, so the two teens would follow her. "I wish Ali would've told me you were coming over because then I would've made something." Cecile walked over to the fridge and opened the door, so the two teens could see it. "What would you like to drink? Orange Juice? Fruit Juice? Milk? Water?"

"I could just have a glass of water, Mrs. Dubois." Reggie answered.

"Of course!" Cecile grabbed a glass from the cupboard while Ali went to turn on the kettle. "Ali, make me one too, please?"

"Okay." Cecile brought the glass over to Reggie, who had taken a seat at the table, and sat across from him.

"I'm very pleased that Ali brought a friend home. I was beginning to worry that she didn't have any friends." Cecile told Reggie.

"Ali has friends. She just likes to keep to herself most of the time." Reggie explained. Ali rolled her eyes as she pulled out two mugs and placed a tea bag in each.

"I think the move has been hard on her, but I'm sure she'll adjust." Cecile said. The kettle boiled and Ali placed the hot water into the two mugs.

"Actually, I came here for a specific reason." Reggie began speaking. Cecile raised her hopes. She was hoping that he was going to tell her that they've been dating and that he wanted to introduce himself to her. "With everything going on with the black hood recently, I've offered to drive Ali to and form school."

"Really?" Cecile was shocked by this news. The young man in front of her was going to drive her daughter to keep her safe. "Please, let me give you gas money."

"Please don't. I'm doing this to help keep her safe. Everyone is taking precaution, but I just felt that, since Ali is new, then she should have someone looking out for her." Reggie explained.

"You are such a fine young man." Cecile looked over at Ali. "Why didn't you bring him home sooner?"

"He's just a friend, maman." Ali sighed as she took out the tea bags and placed some milk into both before bringing them to the table. Ali sat at the head of the table, so she was in the middle and could observe the two troublemakers who were getting along.

"I know, but I'm still happy he came in to introduce himself. You have such great manners, Reggie." Cecile complimented the boy in front of her. Reggie smiled.

"Thank you, my mother did raise me right." Reggie said.

"What else do you do, Reggie?" Cecile questioned.

"I'm on the football team at Riverdale." Reggie answered.

"Ali is a cheerleader, so I guess she'll be supporting you at your games." Cecile smiled at her daughter to see that she could care less about the whole ordeal.

"She will be. Our cheerleading team is great." Reggie added.

"I know. I used to be a Vixen. I can probably still recall some of our old cheers, but I bet they've been changed since then." Cecile laughed to herself.

"Things tend to change, maman." Ali said as she sipped her tea.

"Please excuse my daughter, she has quite the attitude." Cecile apologized to Reggie before sending Ali a warning look. Ali rolled her eyes as she continued to sip her tea.

"I actually enjoy it." Reggie piped in. Ali and Cecile both looked at Reggie with a confused expression. "Ali's different compared to all the other girls. She's a lot of fun to be around because of all her witty comments, so I wouldn't change anything about her attitude." Reggie defended. Ali and Cecile were both shocked by Reggie's statement. Ali couldn't believe that Reggie had said something that was completely unpredictable.

"Keep him as a friend." Cecile told Ali. Ali slammed her palm onto her forehead as she groaned.

"You're so embarrassing." Ali said. Reggie laughed as he witnessed the exchange. He was happy to see that she wasn't just attitude filled at school, but she was also like this at home as well.

"Why are you two hanging out with an old lady like myself? You two should go and do fun things!" Cecile clapped her hands together. "Ali, why don't you give Reggie a tour of the house?" Ali stared at her mother with a blank look until her mother said, "Emmenez-le en tournée." Ali sighed as she pushed her chair back and stood up from the table.

"Right then, let's go, Reggie." Reggie smiled at Cecile before getting up and following Ali around the house. The house had a very modern yet classy touch. There were fake flowers placed around the house, rugs were present in almost every room and the curtains were large and simple. If someone saw Ali walking around the house then they would say that she didn't match it with her leather jacket and badass attitude. However, Reggie felt that she was perfect in this house. He could picture her having a house similar to this when she got older.

As they made their way upstairs, Ali pointed out the bedrooms, the office and the washroom. When they finally reached Ali's room Reggie took it all in. The walls were a pastel blue that brightened up the room when the sun entered through the large window in front of them. She had a queen-sized bed that had the headrest up against the wall to the right of the door. She had a nightstand with a picture and an alarm. The closet was in the wall beside the door. On the left was a desk. There was a leather chair where she could sit and her laptop rested on the desk. Above the desk was a scratch map of the world. Reggie saw that a few countries had already been scratched – England, France, Spain and Italy. Beside the desk was a chest of drawers that had jewellery stands on top of it. Ali had so many necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, so he wondered why she didn't wear all the other pretty jewellery that she owned. The last thing that he noticed was a bookshelf that was beside the window. It was basically full of so many different books of many different genres. Reggie didn't know that Ali enjoyed reading so much.

"What're you looking at?" Reggie finally looked at Ali again and he was so pleased he did. She was sitting on the edge of her bed while she faced him. The sun was shining through her window and hit half of her face. Only in the sunlight did he notice that her eyes were a dark chocolate brown and they weren't completely black. Her lips looked full and her skin looked so soft. Reggie just wanted to walk over to her and place a kiss on her lips while he cradled her face in his hands.

"You're room." Reggie answered as she walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"No shit, Sherlock." Ali nudged her elbow into Reggie's arm.

"It's really nice. I definitely didn't think your room would look like this."

"What did you think it'd look like?" Ali asked.

"Dark, skulls, heads on walls." Ali punched Reggie's arm and he laughed as he grabbed it. She didn't realize how nice his laugh was.

"You're a dick." She replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. Reggie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"You wouldn't have me any other way." Ali rolled her eyes at his comment. "Hey, who's this?" Reggie picked up the picture that was on Ali's bedside table. She looked at saw the picture of her family in the frame.

"My parents, me and my brothers." Ali pointed to each individual.

"I didn't know you had brothers." Reggie looked over at Ali. She didn't say anything. She just stared at the photo.

"Where are they?"

"They're not here." Ali's face dropped and so did Reggie's heart.

"Oh my God…I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Ali looked up at Reggie's face and saw the worry and concern that crossed over his features. She put two and two together before waving her hands in his face.

"Oh no, they're not dead! Jesus!" Reggie let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God! You worried me for a second." Reggie awkwardly laughed as he placed the picture back onto the nightstand.

"They're still in England. I don't know if they're going to come here." Ali explained.

"Are they older or younger?" Reggie questioned.

"Older."

"So it looks like I'll need to impress them too." Reggie winked at Ali. She pushed him away and stood up form the bed.

"You're dumb. Anyways, don't you want to get going? Don't you have jock things to do?" Reggie stood up form his spot on the bed and stood in front of Ali.

"It's not very nice to kick someone out of your house, you know?" Reggie smirked at the girl in front of him.

"What're you going to do about it? Punish me?" Reggie smiled at the idea. Ali didn't know just how inviting that idea sounded to Reggie.

* * *

Emmenez-le en tournée = Take him on a tour

 **Oooooooooooo Now we're inside Ali's house...WHO KNEW THAT SHE HAD OLDER BROTHERS?! I wonder if they're going to make an appearance...**


	15. Chapter 15

Ali received a lecture from her father before she left for school. He was always worried about his 'precious princess'. Cecile had informed Theo about Reggie during dinner and Theo had his own thoughts on the matter. Cecile had to calm Theo down since he was worried about a young man becoming too friendly with his daughter. The conversation ended with Ali placing her head onto the table and sighing in frustration.

Ali thought that she'd be able to leave for school without having this conversation again, but she was mistaken. Theo stopped what he was doing at the breakfast table and began to warn Ali what men were after when it came to women – especially young men. Ali rarely gets into an argument with her father, but whenever there's a boy involved – they never see eye-to-eye.

"What's with the long face?" Ali climbed into Reggie's car and sighed after closing the door.

"My father." Reggie pulled the car away form the curb and started heading towards school.

"You're going to have to give me more than that." Reggie laughed as he kept his eyes on the road.

"He's worried about you spending so much time with me. He thinks you'll pounce on me at any time." Ali explained as she looked out the window in front of her.

"Well if I was a rapist then…" Ali's head snapped to his direction. Reggie noticed her confused face and quickly retracted his sentence, "I would never! Shit. That came out wrong. Fuck. Ali, I would never do such a thing."

"You better not or I'll rip your balls off and replace your eyeballs with them." Ali threatened. Reggie was slightly intimidated by her words.

"I mean, if I had a daughter then I'd be worried about guys too. So many of them are disgusting and would take advantage of any woman, no matter the age, so I get where your dad is coming from."

"Wow, that's pretty mature of you, Reggie." They reached a red light, so Reggie could look at her.

"I'm not a disgusting human being. Give me some credit, Ali." Ali shrugged her shoulders and went back to staring out the window. "I also talked to Archie about having Veronica back off a bi-"

"Why would you do that?" Ali practically yelled at Reggie.

"I thought you would want me to-"

"I told you not to!" Ali groaned as she rubbed her face with her hands. Ali found Veronica annoying – this was true, but she didn't want to make her feel bad. Ali knew that Veronica just wanted to make a new friend, but Ali didn't believe that they would mix well.

"Shit, Ali. I didn't think you'd react like this." Reggie pulled into the parking lot at Riverdale High. The surrounding student body all paused as they saw Reggie's car pull in, but stared into the car when they noticed Ali was sitting in the passenger seat. The other Bulldog members nudged each other and started making howling sounds as the car went into its normal parking spot.

"Thanks for the ride." Ali plainly said as she opened up the door and got out. She swung her backpack on her back and began to walk away. Reggie quickly locked his car and jogged up to catch up to Ali.

"Are we having our first fight?" Reggie teased Ali. He bent down to her and said to close to her ear. Ali bit the inside of her cheek in order to stop herself from smiling. She took her arm and nudged him as she said,

"Shut up." Reggie knew that Ali wouldn't stay mad at him for long, so he wrapped his arm around her and walked with her into the school. Everyone basically stopped in the hallway. No one saw any social media updates that said that Reggie was in a relationship, so girls started checking their phones to see if they missed something. Ali noticed this and pushed his arm off of her shoulders.

"I'll see you after school. I have to go do damage control because of you and your big mouth." Ali then turned away from Reggie and walked in the opposite direction. Ali went searching for Veronica, so she was pleased to see her standing at her locker. Ali sighed to herself before walking up to Veronica. Ali was a very blunt individual, so certain sensitive conversations were hard for her to execute. Ali tapped Veronica on her shoulder and was prepared for the worst, but was surprised when Veronica turned around with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Ali!" She greeted Ali.

"Hey, Veronica."

"What's up?" Veronica closed her locker and placed her bag on her shoulder.

"Look, I don't know if Archie talked to you or anything-"

"He did." Veronica nodded her head.

"I get it, I came on too strong and I'll back off a bit." Veronica placed her hand in front of her as she talked.

"I don't want you to feel bad or anything. I know you're just trying to be friendly, but I'm just not like that, you know? It's overwhelming moving to a new country and shit and I just really need to make friends in my own time." Ali explained.

"Hey, I completely understand. I moved here from New York, so I get it." Veronica tried to empathize.

"I don't think New York to Riverdale is the same as England to Riverdale…"Ali awkwardly said.

"Oh, of course not. I mean that I understand the whole moving thing at least, but hey, I'm happy you came to talk to me." Veronica smiled at Ali. Ali gave Veronica a small smile in return.

"Well I didn't want any bad blood between us. Reggie opened up his big mouth to Archie when I specifically asked him not to." Ali sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"About you and Reggie…" Veronica leaned in closer and wiggled her eyebrows as she smirked at Ali.

"It's not a thing." Ali quickly spat out.

"I knew that Reggie drove you here this morning even before you came to talk to me." Veronica explained.

"Fuck, what's the rumour mill like here? Why are you all so fast at spreading information?" Ali groaned as she placed the palm of her hand on her forehead. She's never experienced any type of rumour turning machine like Riverdale High before.

"It's better we're spreading rumours and not STI's, but I did hear that the baseball team might-"

"Nope! I'm not listening to this." Ali raised her hands up at Veronica as she shook her head. "I'm going to head to class."

"Well you're not with anyone from the baseball team! You're more into the football captain." Veronica winked.

"Yup, I'm going to class now." Ali began to walk away, but stopped and turned back around. "Veronica!" Ali called out. The raven-haired girl turned around to the curly haired girl. "I think I can come over for a movie night or something." With that, Ali turned around and walked to class. Veronica was left standing there with a massive smile on her face as she walked away to her class. Two onlookers were watching the exchange of the two girls. Reggie had his arms crossed over his chest while Archie leaned up against the wall. Reggie smiled as he looked at one of his close friends.

"Looks like we'll be able to go on double dates soon, Andrews." Reggie beamed.

"Who would've ever thought that you'd be settling down, Reggie." Archie joked as he nudged the Korean man.

* * *

 **Is Ali making a friend?! FINALLY! And we may have a special appearance from some Serpents in the next chapter...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Southside Connections**

After school, Ali decided to make a visit to her friends on the Southside. She quickly grabbed her back and placed it on her back and decided to make a move to the bus, but was stopped when she felt someone grab her wrist. She turned around to see Reggie standing there.

"Ready to go home?" He asked Ali with a smile on his face.

"I'm actually going out for a bit." Ali admitted.

"To where? I can take you." Reggie offered. Ali shook her head.

"I'm good. I won't be out long. I just need to go run some errands." Ali lied. She remembered hearing the disgust on Sweet Pea's lips when he heard that she's staying on the Northside, so she figured that Reggie would feel the same about the Southside.

"I can come to keep you company." Ali shook her head again. She rested her hand on his arm before replying,

"I'm good. I'll call you when I get back and then you can pick me up and take me home, okay?" Reggie didn't like this, but he agreed anyways.

"Okay. You promise you'll call me when you're ready to get picked up?" Reggie looked at Ali with a serious face. She was surprised by his face. She didn't understand why he was taking this so seriously about driving her everywhere.

"Fine. If it'll make you leave me alone." Ali laughed.

"I'll see you later." Ali waved at Reggie before turning around and finally making her way out of Riverdale High. Ali made her way down the street towards the bus stop. Once on the bus, she sat by the window and waited for the bus to stop at the familiar dark street. Once she arrived, she hopped off and made her way to the familiar bar. When she pushed open the door she noticed that the Serpents were already present in the bar. Toni was behind the bar again and Sweet Pea was at the pool tables. Ali walked over to Toni and sat down on a stool. Toni smiled at Ali when she saw that she had arrived.

"Hey, Ali!" Toni leaned against the counter.

"Hey, Toni."

"We haven't seen you in a couple days. I was worried that we scared you away." Toni said.

"You guys didn't, but the Black Hood did." Ali explained.

"What? You met the Black Hood?" Toni practically yelled with shock. Sweet Pea and Fangz had over heard this comment and then made their way over to the two women at the bar.

"What's this I hear?" Fangz asked as he sat beside Ali and Sweet Pea leaned against the car, so he could look at Ali.

"Last time I was here I caught the bus home and I decided to walk the rest of the way because the bus was going to take too long and it wasn't that far of a walk. Then I noticed a van following me and started speeding up, but luckily, I called some friends and they came and got me right away." Ali explained.

"This is why you should've let us drive you home that night." Fangz pointed out.

"I'm so happy you're okay." Toni said as she reached over and held onto Ali's hand.

"You have to be more careful."

"It would suck if you just moved here and ended up being murdered." Sweet Pea said. Toni slapped Sweet Pea's arm. He scrunched up his face as he looked at Toni.

"He's right, that would suck, but look! I'm still here." Ali said as she slammed her palms onto the counter.

"We know, you're so loud." Sweet Pea sarcastically said as he rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know just how loud I can be." Ali winked at Sweet Pea. Fangz made a face of surprise at Ali's comment and Toni's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Wait, who came and got you when the Black Hood came?" Toni redirected the conversation, so Ali and Sweet Pea were no longer looking at each other and allowing tension to build in-between them.

"Some of the boys from school. They've made this thing where you can call them if you feel unsafe, so they'll come get you and shit." Ali explained.

"Do they call themselves the Red Circle?" Sweet Pea asked Ali.

"Ya…"

"That fucking Northsider, Archie, came here yesterday night and started draw that shit on the walls. Then he put a fucking gun in my face." Sweet Pea was angry, that was apparent, but Ali was a little surprised by the aggression he oozed. "He thinks that we're running around killing people."

"Why would he think that?" Ali questioned.

"You're new. You wouldn't know. The Northsiders think the worst of us. They look down on us and spread lies about everything we do." Sweet Pea balled his fists.

"They put us in the same category as the Ghoulies, even though they're the ones who actually cause trouble for everyone." Toni added.

"Whenever anything happens, they blame us. They never look at each other." Fangz said.

"That's fucked up." Ali said more to herself, but the three individuals heard her.

"I'm going to go to Andrews house and fuck him up. He can't come onto our turf, waving a gun in my face and think that he's going to get away with it." Sweet Pea informed the others of his plan.

"Woah, before you go making things worse, let me try and talk to him." Ali didn't want the Serpents to get into any unnecessary trouble. Ali felt a certain connection with the people in this room because they reminded her of her friends at home and her previous life.

"You're friends with those idiots?" Sweet Pea asked.

"No, but I go to school with them." Ali answered.

"Don't hangout with those scumbags. They'll just turn on you. You're not one of them." Fangz said.

"Do any of them know you're here with us?" Toni asked. Ali shook her head. "So even you know that they wouldn't approve of us."

"I think this is pointless, in my opinion." Ali said.

"Well, you can blame your Northside buddies." Sweet Pea spat.

"They're not my buddies. We barely have anything in common. We come from very different worlds."

"What do you mean?" Toni leaned forward. Ali stared through her as she began to remember certain feelings and memories. She felt an itch on her back and instinctively scratched her lower back.

"Nothing." Ali answered. She stood up from the stool and looked at the three individuals.

"I'm going to head home. I really only came here to give you my number." Ali reached for a nearby napkin and fished for a pen out of her back. Once her number was written down then she pushed the napkin towards Toni.

"Really?" Toni picked up the napkin and cradled it in her hands.

"You're cool." Ali shrugged.

"Let one of us take you home." Fangz offered.

"Don't worry. It won't be dark for a couple more hours, so I'll be home before then." Ali denied the offer.

"I'd feel better if you took Fangz up on his offer." Toni added.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I need to go to the mall anyways." Ali waved her hand.

"But-"

"No, I'm good." Ali smiled at them. "I'll see you guys around." Ali waved at the three individuals before leaving the bar and making her way back to the bus stop.

* * *

 **1) The last time Ali left the Serpents the Black Hood found her...now she's going again...I wonder...**

 **2) Is Ali going to get involved with the Northside and the Southside feud?!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Two Worlds Collide**

Ali waited for Reggie at the spot that they agreed over the phone. The curly haired girl felt her phone buzz and looked down. She had been texting Toni since she had left the Whyte Wyrm. Ali was pleased that she had made a friend with someone that she believed would understand her.

Toni: _Make sure you come back soon_

Ali: _Why? You miss me already?_

Toni: _Of course! It's the first time I'll have a girl to talk to who's my age and just as badass_

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Ali looked up to see who the owner of the voice was. Reggie was smiling at her with his window down and his arm hanging over the ledge.

"Nope." Ali said before walking around the car and getting into the passenger seat. When Ali entered the car her nose was filled with the familiar smell of pizza. She sniffed the air a couple times before turning around and seeing a box of pizza in the backseat.

"Pizza?" Ali looked back at Reggie as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Ya, we're going to Andrew's house." Reggie explained.

"Why? I thought you were going to drop me off at home?" Ali was confused by the change of plans.

"With everything that's been going on, the football team wants to spend some time together and unwind. Just call your mother and tell her you're with me, I'm sure she'll be fine with it." Reggie smirked as he looked at Ali through the corner of his eye.

"Well I think I just want to go home." Ali said as she rested her head on the headrest and folded her arms.

"Come on! At least ask your mom. If she says no then I'll drop you off right away." Ali looked over at Reggie and realized that he wasn't going to let this go. She sighed and pulled out her phone. Reggie listened as Ali spoke in French to her mother. His heart began to beat faster as the French language sang in his ears. He always found foreign languages beautiful, but French was on another level for him, but it also had something to do with the girl who was speaking it. "So?" Reggie asked Ali when she hung up the phone.

"She said it's fine." Ali sighed. Reggie pumped his fist in the air as he turned onto Archie's street.

"I knew she would. I think she likes me." Reggie said as he made a right turn.

"She does, but my dad doesn't." Ali smirked as she looked out the window.

"That's because he didn't meet me." Reggie waved off what Ali said.

"You're so cocky." Ali rolled her eyes. Reggie's right hand reached over and playfully squeezed the British girls thigh.

"You like it." Reggie had pulled in front of Archie's house. Ali sighed and got out of the car. She really didn't want to be here, but when she asked her mother to just say no, her mother yelled at her on the phone and told her that she needs to socialize with Reggie's friends as well because she likes him. Ali knew that Cecile just wanted Reggie to be invited over to her house again.

"There he is. So that's where you went?" Ali looked over her shoulder and saw the rest of the football team walking towards the pair with pizza boxes in their hands and their varsity jackets over their shoulders.

"Ali wanted to come." Reggie shrugged his shoulders while he stood beside the beautiful girl beside him.

"So is this a thing?" The blonde boy pointed to the two in front of him as he asked his question.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ali sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hey, I'm cool with you coming along, Ali, but you're not really a part of the Red Circle." The blonde answered.

"She's with me." Reggie wrapped a protective arm around Ali's shoulders. "So if you have anything else to say then you can say it to me." The blonde raised up his hands to show his surrender to the captain of the football team. Ali was a little taken aback with Reggie's overprotective nature. "Then let's go surprise Andrews." Without taking his arm off of Ali's shoulders – Reggie lead the pack up the steps and to the front door. Reggie looked over at Ali when they stood in front of the door and smirked – she knew that he wasn't going to let go of her any time soon, so Ali knocked on the door. Veronica opened the door with a confused face, as she looked at all the Bulldogs in front of her and Ali.

"Reggie?" Reggie smiled and nodded his head in the direction of the house.

"Can we come in?" Archie and Veronica took a step away from the door, so the group of individuals could walk into the house. Ali wiggled out of Reggie's grasp while he went into the family room and she went by the door, so she could talk to Veronica.

"Hey, if you want us to leave, then let us know." Ali explained to Veronica. Veronica just dismissed Ali's suggestion with a wave of her hand,

"Don't be ridiculous. It's totally cool. I am surprised to see you though." Veronica leaned on her leg as she crossed her arms and allowed her lips to turn up into a smirk. Ali had now deemed this pose the _Veronica pose_.

"Don't even ask." Ali scoffed as she rolled her eyes and dug her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

"You have been spending a lot of time with Reggie recently." Veronica interrogated.

"It's no longer my choice. My mother adores him and wants him around." Ali explained.

"Oh, he's already met your mother? That's pretty quick." Veronica teased.

"I don't mean like that." Ali slapped her palm onto her forehead. "Never mind, let's just go see what those dogs are up to." With that, Ali turned on her heel and made her way into the family room. It was a decent sized family room – nothing special. The boys had already placed the pizza boxes on the coffee table that was in the middle of the room, so they could all grab a slice and start eating while making small chat. Ali walked over to one of the boxes and pulled out a pepperoni slice. She saw one of the armchairs free, so she sat down on it while eating her slice. Ali watched as the boys talked to each other. She noted that Archie seemed to be on edge, but she put that down to the fact that the black hood frightened him. Reggie was smiling as he slammed his hand on the back of one of the other players while he laughed. Ali noted how Reggie's social skills changed depending on whom he spoke to. She was surprised that he was aware of how to change the way he spoke depending on the person. When Veronica walked into the room she sat down on the armchair across from Ali. She rested her arms on the arms of the chair and got comfortable. The boys in the room took this as a sign to sit down and begin their conversation. Reggie walked over to Ali and grabbed onto her wrist.

"What the hell?" Reggie pulled Ali out of her seat, so he could sit down. He then pulled Ali to sit in his lap. While sitting on his lap – Ali noticed just how much larger his frame was compared to hers. She looked up and met eyes with the one other girl in the room. Ali quickly got up form her spot and went to sit on the arm of Reggie's chair.

"What? Am I not comfortable enough?" Reggie joked with Ali. Ali finished her crust and wiped her hands together, so the crumbs would fall onto the floor. Ali then leaned into Reggie's ear with a playful smirk on her lips.

"I just don't want you getting too excited in front of all your friends." She whispered into his ear and Reggie could've sworn that goose bumps ran up his spine and he felt his excitement begin to boil in his bloodstream. Ali felt her phone vibrate in her packet and quickly brought it to her face.

 _Ali, Sweet Pea and the others are heading to the Northside to kick some ass. He didn't want to wait for you to talk to them and have them see sense! I don't know where you are, but make sure you're not in harms way!_ Ali's heart jumped into her throat as she read the message from Toni. Ali scanned it a second time to make sure that she read it right. When she finally looked up from her phone she was about to say something, but Veronica already began to speak.

"To what do we owe this unexpected honour?" Veronica asked Reggie from her seat in her chair.

"Archie could've told Weatherbee the hood was mine, but he didn't. In the Book of Reg, that makes you a top tier loyal badass." Ali looked at Reggie through the corner of her eye. She never heard anything about a hood. She was confused by what was being said, but decided to stay quiet anyways. "And we were talking, and decided, if you wanna keep the Red Circle going, we're here for you dude." Archie nodded his head in acceptance with what Reggie had said.

"I need to tell you all-" The sound of a revving car interrupted Ali and her words. Everyone turned towards the window with confusion written on their faces. Veronica got up from her chair and walked over to the door. Ali stood up and felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach.

"And not a moment too soon. Archie, trouble." Veronica called for her boyfriend. Archie got up form the couch and hopped over the coffee table, so he could walk towards Veronica and stand beside her. Archie opened up the door and stood in front of Sweet Pea and other Serpents.

"How stupid are you Northsiders? You really think you can come to my house, stick a gun in my face, in front of my boys, and there wouldn't be payback?" Sweet Pea threatened Archie. Ali was about to take a step out from the family room, but Reggie grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, so he could step to the door. The other members of the football team all stood in front of Ali. Reggie pulled out the door, so he could look at Sweet Pea.

"You have crap timing, bro." Reggie took a few steps forward, so he could be in front of Sweet Pea. Ali managed to poke her head through some of the boys, so she could watch the exchange. "Bulldogs eat serpents for lunch."

"We'll see about that. And the more, the merrier." Sweet Pea took a step closer. Reggie pushed Sweet Pea back and Archie pulled onto Reggie's arm.

"Hey, chill." Reggie warned. Archie looked back at Veronica,

"Veronica, you stay here."

"What? Archie, no." Veronica reached for Archie's arm. Archie turned around to speak with his girlfriend,

"Veronica, after my dad I made a promise to protect him and this house. Stay here." Archie explained to Veronica. Archie turned back around to face Sweet Pea again.

"If you want a fight, we'll fight."

"What about your gun?" Sweet Pea questioned.

"What about your knife?" Archie asked.

"How about no weapons?" Veronica pushed her way to the front, so she stood beside Archie. "If you troglodytes insist on doing this, there are gonna be rules. Or should I call Sheriff Keller to be referee?" Ali ran her hands through her hair before turning around and cursing in her head. She didn't want this to happen. She also didn't want Sweet Pea to see her because she knew how he would react and his opinion mattered to her – even if she didn't want to admit it yet.

* * *

 **Oh no! What do we think is going to happen next? Is Ali going to get involved now? She seems to care about Reggie, but I think she has a soft spot for Sweet Pea...**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Can You Give Me A Nice Surprise, Please?**

Ali looked out the window as she watched the football team climb into their cars and drive off to where they were going to meet the Serpents. With a sigh, Ali closed the curtain and looked back at the empty family room. Veronica walked back in after placing the pizza boxes in the kitchen to see Ali standing by the window with a worried expression.

"You look worried." Veronica pointed out the blatantly obvious.

"And you're not?" Ali questioned with a little more anger than she had anticipated.

"My boyfriend is going off to fight a bunch of thugs. Of course I'm worried." _Thugs_. That word had such a negative connotation and it always bothered Ali, but she bit her tongue.

"Then let's go and stop them." Ali suggested.

"How are we going to do that? We don't have a car or any form of transportation." Veronica pointed out. Ali looked around – hoping to find an answer to this problem, but she turned around and placed her forehead on the window in defeat. Her eyes saw the truck that was sitting in the driveway.

"That truck!" Ali practically yelled as she pointed out the window. Veronica rushed towards the window and looked outside to see Mr. Andrew's truck outside.

"But where's the keys?" Veronica looked at Ali like she would know the answer. Ali looked around the family room and tried to think about where the keys would be placed. Veronica watched as Ali's eyes widened before she bolted into the kitchen.

"Fuck!" Veronica ran to the kitchen and saw Ali slam her fist onto the countertop. "The keys aren't here." Ali began to think about what to do again. She looked up at Veronica and let the words fly out before she could stop them, "I'll hot wire the truck."

"You can do that?" Veronica looked at Ali with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll discuss that later, but we need to get a move on." Ali turned around and made her way out of the house and towards the truck. She pulled on the drivers door and it opened. Ali looked at it with a confused face a she wondered why the door wasn't locked. She quickly climbed in and unhooked the bottom of the steering wheel. Ali got out of the truck and sat on the floor of the truck in order to look at the wires.

Meanwhile, Veronica walked over to her purse and unzipped it carefully. Her hand reached in and pulled out the plastic bag that held a handgun in it. Veronica stared at it with wide eyes as her hands began to shake. When she heard the sound of a revving truck she quickly put the gun back in her purse and walked out of the house to see that Ali was successful in her hotwiring.

"You're full of surprises, huh?" Veronica asked as she got into the car. Ali clicked in her seatbelt and placed her hands on the steering wheel."Wait…can you drive on this side of the road?"

"We drive on the right side in France." Ali said before putting the truck into drive and turning right onto the road. "You're going to have to direct me." Ali told Veronica as they reached a stop sign.

"Go left." Veronica instructed. Ali followed Veronica's instructions as she drove them to the destination. Veronica clutched onto her purse as she continued to think about the gun that was sitting in her lap.

"You and Archie seem happy." Ali said. She felt the nervousness in the air and wanted to diffuse it before it became anymore unbearable.

"We are. You and Reggie seem…close." Veronica said as she remembered seeing Reggie pull Ali into his lap back at the house.

"It's definitely not something I wanted right now." Ali sighed.

"Then why worry about what's happening to Reggie?" Veronica questioned. Ali didn't know the answer to that question. She didn't want Reggie to get hurt, but she also didn't want Sweet Pea to cause any more problems. With the negative rumours spreading about the Serpents – they really didn't need any more flack for their behaviour.

"He's an idiot, but an idiot that is kind of nice." Ali answered.

"It's raining pretty hard all of a sudden." Veronica switched the topic of conversation to the weather.

"Weird. It always seems to rain like this when something bad is going to happen in the movies." Ali added. The rain pelted the windshield as Ali drove to the destination. Nerves began to boil in Ali's stomach as the seconds continued to pass. She was going to try to break-up the fight, but she also didn't want Sweet Pea to think that she was choosing one side over the other. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened at the thought of the Serpents not wanting her around any more.

"It's a good thing I have this then." Veronica said as she pulled out a plastic poncho for her to slip on in the truck.

"You don't happen to have one for me, do you?" Ali joked. Veronica was surprised that a joke would come out of Ali's mouth when she barely smiled as is.

"Shouldn't you be used to the rain? Doesn't it rain all the time in England?" Veronica asked.

"It doesn't rain like this all the time." Ali pointed out.

"Holy shit! Is that them?" Ali and Veronica squinted as they looked through the windshield. Cars and motorcycles were all parked while the boys were rolling around on the ground – punching, kicking, shoving and throwing each other. Ali quickly braked and put the truck in Park before getting out. Veronica pulled the gun out of the plastic bag and stepped out of the truck. Ali ran over to Veronica to see her holding a gun.

"What the fuck, Veronica?" Ali yelled at her over the sound of the rain hammering on the ground.

"It's not mine." Veronica explained.

"Do you even know how to use a gun?" Ali questioned. Veronica didn't answer. "Give it to me."

"Do you-"

"Give it to me!" Without another word, Veronica handed Ali the gun. Ali walked over to the group of guys and raised the gun with two hands on the handle. She pointed towards the sky and pulled the trigger – everyone stopped in their place and turned to see Ali and Veronica. Ali passed the gun back to Veronica, so she could do whatever she wanted with the deadly weapon that she owned. The boys stared at Ali and Veronica. Reggie and Sweet Pea were both surprised to see Ali standing there, but they were more surprised by the fact that she had a gun in her hand and just took a shot in the air.

"Let's go!" Sweet Pea told him friends as he quickly got up to his feet and turned around to run away. The other Serpents all followed the head of the pack.

"Help me. Help!" Ali's eyes darted to the sound and saw someone limping as he clutched his thigh. Ali saw a knife sticking out of his leg. Reggie grabbed the boy and helped him limp to his car. Ali quickly pulled open the car door and jumped into the back, so Reggie could place the boy into the passenger seat.

"Reggie, we need to get him to the hospital!" Ali yelled to the Korean boy as he jumped into the driver seat and put the car in gear.

"No shit, Ali!" Reggie yelled back. Reggie turned his steering wheel and slammed his foot on the accelerator, so the car would blast forward. "What the fuck are you doing here? Where the fuck did you get that gun? Why the fuck do you have a gun?" Reggie yelled at Ali as Reggie drove frantically through the town of Riverdale to get to the hospital.

"I came to make sure you were okay! And that's not even my gun! It's Veronica's!" Ali yelled back as she gripped onto the leather seats in front of her, so she could check on the guy in front of her. "Don't look at it. Look at me." Ali instructed the boy as she moved his head. He looked at her with a surprised face until he saw her give him a stern look. He watched the exchange between Reggie and this new girl, so the girl sitting behind him wouldn't hit him in the head.

"Come on! Veronica doesn't have a gun!" Reggie was frustrated with Ali because he didn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.

"I'm telling you the truth! I was planning on just coming and stopping you guys, but Veronica pulled out a fucking gun from her purse!" Ali explained what had happened.

"So why did you shoot it?" Reggie questioned.

"Because Veronica doesn't know how to use a gun and we didn't need her shooting any of you guys." Ali answered.

"And you fucking do?" Reggie was blown away by what Ali was saying. Did she really just imply that she knows how to use a gun? Questions were flying through Reggie's head and he continued to drive.

"That's not important right now! What's important is getting this guy to the hospital!" Ali placed her hand on the boys shoulder and smiled at him, "I'm Ali."

"I-I'm Dilton." Dilton stuttered. He just watched Ali and Reggie yell at each other and now she was smiling at him? Dilton believed that Ali was mentally insane at that point.

"When they ask you at the hospital…" Reggie began to speak as he looked at Dilton, but he cut into his sentence,

"I was minding my business when Serpents jumped me for no reason." Dilton finished.

"Hold on, you're going to blame the Serpents?" Ali asked.

"They're the ones who did this, Ali! What do you want him to do?" Reggie yelled as he raised his hand in disbelief.

"Well if the cops start snooping and they point it towards you guys then-"

"They won't." Reggie was stern with his words. Ali saw his jaw clench with frustration as he made it to the hospital parking lot.

"Thanks for the ride, I got it." Dilton opened the door and brought his legs outside of the car.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Ali asked.

"No, I need to go in alone." Dilton said before closing the door and limping away. Dilton just wanted to get away from the two in the car because he didn't want to listen to them yelling at each other anymore.

* * *

 **Damn...so...Ali can hot wire a car and shoot a gun, huh? Just what else does this girl know how to do? How do you think Reggie will react now?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Why Can't We Be Together?**

The wipers went across the windshield in a rhythmic motion. Ali and Reggie silently sat in the car. Ali sat with her arms crossed over her chest as her hair dripped from all the rain and her shirt clung to her skin underneath her leather jacket. Reggie's hair rested against his forehead as he used his one hand to drive and the other on the gear shift.

"You shouldn't have come." Reggie broke the silence.

"Fine then, I won't care next time." Ali snapped back. Silence fell on the two again.

"Well you don't act like you care most of the time." Reggie sulked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that moving to a new country, having to make new friends, deal with new culture and have to worry about a murderer wasn't enough for you to realize that my emotions are a little out of whack right now." Ali groaned at the end of her rant.

"You can talk to me about this, Ali. I've said that." Reggie's grip on the steering wheel tightened as tried not to yell at the girl beside him.

"We barely know each other." Ali said.

"We've known each other for over a month. I've met your mother. I drive you twice a day every day. We have chemistry class together. You can't say that we don't know each other." Reggie defended himself.

"You don't get it." Ali groaned.

"Then explain it to me. Talk to me, Ali." Reggie's voice carried frustration and Ali could hear it loud and clear. She kept her mouth shut as she stared out the window. "I don't know what you want me to do. I get that you don't want to be in a relationship, but you can't just shut me out and then say that I don't know you."

"It's for your own good." Ali muttered.

"How?" Reggie turned onto Ali's street and made his way to her house.

"It just is." Ali softly said. Reggie parked his car and turned in his seat, so he could look at the girl beside him. Even with her arms crossed against her chest and her face stern, her eyes were lowered and they were filled with sadness.

"I'm a big boy, Ali. I can make my own decisions." Reggie explained. Ali refused to look at the boy beside her. Reggie placed his hand on hers and pulled her arms apart – forcing her to look at him. "Please, Ali."

"No. You'll just end up looking at me differently." Ali plainly said. She knew that if Reggie knew about her past then he would treat her just like he does the Serpents or even worse. She didn't want that.

"I promise you, I won't." Reggie pleaded.

"You can't say that." Ali looked away from Reggie and towards her feet.

"We come from two different worlds." Reggie was confused by Ali's words.

"What?" Ali shook her head and pulled her hands away from Reggie.

"Thank you, for everything." Ali opened the car door and stepped outside – allowing the rain to drench her as she began to walk to her house, but she stopped when she felt someone grab her wrist and spin her around. Her face was pushed into a broad chest while arms wrapped around her.

"I don't know what you're running from, but you can trust me." Reggie said in her ear. Ali looked up at him and saw his softened features through the rain. Ali didn't have any words to say at that moment, so Reggie did the only thing he thought he could. He leaned down and placed his lips on hers in a soft kiss. This kiss wasn't like Reggie's usual kisses because it was soft and meaningful to him. He was worried that he was going to break the girl that was in his arms. However, when Ali pulled away, Reggie felt a pang of hurt run through him.

"I don't think you should drive me anymore." Ali said before wiggling out of his arms. She began to walk away from Reggie even when he called after her,

"I'm sorry, Ali!" Ali walked to her front door and placed the keys in the lock, so she could walk inside and shut the door on Reggie. With a heave heart – the two teenagers parted, one going into their car and the other going upstairs to shower.

When Reggie got into his car he slammed his fist against his steering wheel and cursed. He believed that kissing Ali in that moment was the best option. He had always seen it in movies and girls always said that being kissed in the rain was romantic, but Ali didn't feel the same.

Ali went upstairs and stripped herself of her clothes. Her parents were already asleep in their bed as Ali jumped into her shower and put the water on boiling hot. She allowed the hot water hit her skin. She was angry and frustrated and the only way she ever seemed to deal with it was to shower in boiling water. It was her way to remember that she felt something – anything.

When Reggie got home he went upstairs and threw his clothes in his laundry hamper. While he stood in his shower he slammed his fast against the tile. Even with the water hitting his skin – his muscles were tensed with regret as the kiss continued to play in his head. After showering, Reggie wrapped a towel about his hips and walked back into his room. He sat on his bed and pulled out his phone. He looked at Ali's text conversation. There weren't many texts exchanged between the two. Reggie could scroll up to the beginning of their texting with just a few swipes.

Ali stood in her room and looked at herself in her full length mirror. With her underwear on, she turned around and looked over her shoulder. The black lines were intricately placed around and through her scars. Her hands travelled on her shoulders and her lower back as she traced the scars underneath her tattoos. Any onlooker would just see one tattoo that covered Ali's back completely. They would see that it was made up of lines, words, swirls, symbolism and more. However, those close to Ali knew that this was a piece of art that took several months to complete after her back was healed enough for the tattoo to take place.

Reggie lied in his bed while he stared at the ceiling. All of Ali's words floated through his head. The blue moon of a smile of hers was plastered behind his eyelids. The soft sound of her laugh rang in his ears. Reggie never settled in his bed that night, he just twisted and turned as he realized that he had truly lost all trust between Ali and him.

Ali's eyes were closed as she finally allowed sleep to engulf her. Her breathing was calm and her body finally relaxed under her bed sheets, but when her began to get too hot her body began to move. Ali felt the familiar feeling of heat on her back. She felt it spread across her skin as she continued to toss and turn in her head. While she slept her voice screeched,

"No!"

"No!"

"Stop!"

"No!"

"HELP!" Ali was jolted awake by strong hands on her shoulders as they shook her awake. A gasp escaped her lips, filling her lungs with air she didn't know she needed. Her body bolted upright as sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Ali! Ali!" Her eyes searched around her until they finally landed on her parents concerned faces. Theo and Cecile's breaths were caught in their throats as they looked at their daughter. The fear that covered her face shocked them. Theo wrapped his daughter in his arms as Cecile wrapped her arms around the two. "Je suis là."

* * *

Je suis là = I am here

 **Oh no...what's happening with Reggie and Ali? Is this the end of the road? What's going on with Ali? Do you have any ideas?**


	20. Chapter 20

**YOOOOOO! I don't even know why I haven't updated this story when I got chapters for you in my Word...SLAP ME WITH A PILLOW!**

 **Anyways, the new season is out and WHO IS HERE FOR?!**

 **YOU ALREADY KNOW I AM!**

 **AND WHO'S HERE FOR THE RETURN OF THIS FIC?!**

 **ME!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Four Days**

 _Day One_

Theo and Cecile made Ali stay home from school after she woke up screaming. Theo paced in their bedroom as he contemplated what to do. Theo and Cecile feared that Ali's nightmares would be returning. Cecile sat on the edge of their bed and watched her husband pace as he ran his hands through his curls.

"What are we going to do? Do we need to move again?" Theo panicked. His precious daughter sat downstairs on the sofa as she watched daytime TV. Watch being the operative word.

"No. Don't be too drastic." Cecile tried to calm down her husband.

"When I saw her face," Theo stopped pacing and stared at the wall in front of him. "she looked like the way she did when we went to the hospital. She was so scared." Cecile got up from her spot on the bed and walked over to her husband. She placed her hands on his cheeks, so he would look at her.

"She's safe. They can't get her from here." Cecile cooed. Theo wrapped his arms around his wife as he pulled her close to his chest. Theo was terrified for his daughter. She was his only princess and he would move heaven and hell to protect her, but he just needed to know how.

 _Day Two_

Ali lied on her bed as she looked over to her window. She didn't want to go to school today because she felt like she needed to stay home and she was hiding from Reggie. She didn't know how she was going to look him in the eye after the other night when he kissed her. She pushed him away and she knew that it hurt him, but she was doing this for his own good. Ali heard her phone buzz and reached for it.

 _Hey Ali, you're not at school today, again? I hope you're okay. Maybe you got sick from the rain?_

She read the message from Reggie. Her eyes scanned over the screen multiple times before locking it and placing it beside her. She wasn't going to answer him. Her phone buzzed again.

 _I know you're avoiding me._

 _I'm sorry. I was stupid._

 _I am stupid._

 _Can we at least talk?_

Ali pushed her phone off her bed and turned around. She pulled up her covers and threw them over her head. She didn't want to talk to Reggie, but he didn't seem to get the message. Ali was doing this for his own good, so how could he not understand?

 _Day Three_

"I think I should go to school." Ali said when she sat in front of her parents at the kitchen table. "And you two should get back to work."

"Mon chou, don't worry. We're working from home." Theo replied.

"And I've never known you to be excited to go to school." Cecile joked with her daughter.

"I just think that we should get back to our normal lives." Ali explained. Theo reached across the table and held his daughters hand in his own.

"It's okay, you can stay home as long as you need. We know you had a nightmare and whatever may have set that off-"

"Nothing happened, papa." Ali comforted her father. She placed her hand on the back of his and gave it a pat. "I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. The doctor said that we should expect me to have them for the rest of my life almost."

"Why don't you invite one of your friends over?" Cecile suggested. Theo and Ali both looked at the brunette with confused faces. "Since Ali is feeling a little isolated, why doesn't she invite one of her friends over?"

"Really?" Ali sat back against her chair.

"Sure, why don't you invite one of the girls from the cheerleading team?" Cecile suggested. Ali shook her head,

"I know who I want to invite." Afterwards, Ali went upstairs and grabbed her phone from her bed. She had turned it off the day before because she didn't want to see any more texts from Reggie. When her phone finally awoke she saw all of Reggie's texts appear on her screen.

 _I hope you're feeling better_

 _I've never texted someone this much_

 _Is this what double texting is like?_

 _Is this what being left on read is like?_

 _I'm going to come by tomorrow after school and see if you want to come to school again_

 _And if you are sick, then I'll bring you soup_

Ali was touched by Reggie's concern and his persistence. Ali smiled to herself. He genuinely cared and she was surprised because she wouldn't care about him if he treated her the way she treated him.

 _Hey Ali, Sweet Pea told me he saw you at the fight? Are you okay? Did you talk to Archie and his buddies?_

Ali got a text from the only person she wanted over. After her fingers jumped across her screen, Ali was happy with her text and happy with her response. She waited downstairs for the doorbell to ring.

"Ali, can you get that?" Ali happily got up from the sofa and made her way to the door to open it. Toni stood in front of her with her leather jacket on her back and a smile on her face.

"Hey, Ali!" Ali allowed Toni to walk into her house, so she could take off her shoes.

"Hey, Toni. Do you want something to drink?" Ali asked as she showed Toni into the kitchen.

"No, I'm okay." Toni declined.

"Oh, Ali, is this your friend?" Cecile turned around to the two girls and smiled.

"Maman, this is Toni. Toni this is Mrs. Dubois." Ali introduced the two individuals to each other.

"Toni, do you want anything to drink?" Cecile offered. Toni smiled and waved her hand.

"No thank you, I'm good."

"We're just going to go upstairs and hangout." Ali told her mother. Cecile nodded her head and watched the pair leave the kitchen, but her eyes widened at the sight of Toni's jacket. _Southside Serpents_ was proudly placed on her back. Cecile feared that Ali was mixing with the wrong crowd again.

 _Day Four_

"I'm not getting myself into trouble again!" Ali yelled at her parents as she slammed her fists onto the table.

"I saw her jacket!" Cecile argued with her daughter.

"It doesn't mean I've joined a gang!" Ali said with disbelief.

"I don't want you hanging out with them again!" Cecile pointed her finger at her daughter.

"They're my friends!"

"That is enough!" Theo's voice boomed from his seat at the table. Ali and Cecile both looked at the man and sat back down on there seats. "I agree with your mother-"

"But papa-"

"Arrête." Theo silenced his daughter with just one word. "Did you forget what happened the last time you get mixed up in a gang? Huh?" Ali avoided her father's eyes. "J'avais si peur, mon chou. I was terrified." Theo grabbed hold of his wife's hand. "We both were."

"J'ai connais." Ali nodded her head.

"If your friend wasn't there, it would've been more than just your back that was burned." Theo explained to his daughter. Ali looked up at her father with tears welling in her eyes. "We moved here, so you would be safe. So you wouldn't get into any more trouble. No more fights. No more racing. No more police."

"I know."

"So please, mon chou, don't spend any more time with them." Theo pleaded with his daughter. He placed his hand on the table and Ali reached for it.

"D'accord."

* * *

 **DAMNNNNN**

 **Will Ali need to stop being friends with the Serpents?! What does he mean more than just her back would've been burned? What exactly happened to her? What are YOUR thoughts and theories? Also...what should Ali do about Reggie?**

 **So many questions...**


	21. Chapter 21

**YOOOOOOO THAT FIRST EPISODE OF THE NEW SEASON?! THAT ENDING THOUGH?! EXCUSE ME?! WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The Green Eyed Monster**

Ali walked into school with her hands pushed into her pockets and her headphones on. The other students all stared at Ali like she was a ghost. Some thought that she had left. Some had heard that Reggie rejected her so she must've hid due to embarrassment. However, Ali could care less about what people were gossiping about when it came to her. She just wanted to grab her book from her locker and head to class, but when she felt a familiar tap on her shoulder then she turned around and was surprised to see Reggie standing there.

"Reggie?" Ali was shocked. She definitely thought that he would've left her alone after the way she had ignored him.

"Hey. I'm glad you're back." Reggie smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. Ali smiled up at him.

"I'm glad to be back too. Being stuck at home for a few days was kind of hard. My parents were hovering over me the entire time." Reggie was surprised that Ali smiled up at him so easily and didn't have a sarcastic comment for him.

"Are you feeling better?" Reggie asked.

"A lot. Thank you for asking." The awkward silence wafted in front of the two teens. Reggie looked around the hallway and saw all the passer-by's staring at the two and their non-existent conversation.

"I'm sorry." Reggie's head snapped back to Ali.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I was rude to you. I treated you like shit and I'm sorry. You were just being nice." Ali explained. Reggie's mind was blown away at that point. The girl in front of him was apologizing and he never thought that she would be capable to do such a thing.

"Well I'm sorry because…well…you know." Reggie scratched the back of his neck as he spoke to the English girl in front of him. Reggie was referring to the kiss that he gave Ali almost a week ago in the pouring rain.

"It's okay. We were both emotional, so I understand. It's not like you meant it." Ali smiled up at the man. Reggie looked at her with a confused face. He meant that kiss with every nerve in his body. He wanted to kiss the girl in front of him and if he could, he'd do it again. He'd do it right here if he could.

"Oh..ya…well about that-" The bell cut off Reggie's sentence.

"Looks like I should head to class. I haven't been here in a while, so I should go show my face." Ali waved goodbye to the tall Korean man before she turned around and walked away. Reggie watched her retreating figure until she rounded the corner and he could no longer see her.

* * *

During lunch, Ali sat down in the student lounge and pulled out her sandwich. She was scrolling through her phone as she ate, but was interrupted when someone sat down across from her. Ali looked up and met eyes with Veronica. The raven-haired girl smiled at her new friend and Ali put her phone away.

"I'm glad to see you back at school." Veronica smiled at the girl in front of her.

"I'm actually kind of happy to be back too. It gives me something to do." Ali shrugged.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Veronica began. Ali nodded her head – showing that she was listening. "It was about last week…when we went to go see the boys."

"Oh. You want to talk about that." Ali knew that Veronica wanted to speak about the gun, but couldn't say the word out loud.

"It's not mine-" Ali raised her hand to stop Veronica from speaking.

"I honestly don't care." Veronica raised her eyebrows at the girl in front of her. "I will say that whoever's that is…shouldn't have it. It's dangerous and they clearly aren't looking after it."

"I know." Veronica looked at her hands in her lap. Ali sighed.

"Look, I don't need to know any details." Ali stood up from her spot and placed her bag on her back. "Just, be careful." Ali was about to leave the student lounge before she was stopped by the sound of her name.

"Oh Alita!" Ali and Veronica both looked towards the door to see Cheryl waltz over to them with her red hair flung over her shoulder.

"What do you want, Cheryl?" Veronica sighed as she leaned back in her seat.

"I just wanted to see Alita! She's been away for a few days and I was concerned for her." Cheryl fake smiled to Veronica as she stood beside Ali. Ali stared at the two individuals and shrugged her shoulders as a response.

"Well, as you can see, I'm just fine." Ali proved.

"I'm so very pleased to hear that." Cheryl smiled at Ali. "I was concerned when you didn't accompany us to the party with Veronica's friend, Nick." Ali recalled a text message coming in from Veronica explaining a party, but she ended up ignoring it.

"I didn't want to go." Ali shrugged.

"Well that's too bad, I think Reggie missed you, but Josie was there to keep him company." Ali's facial expression never changed, but her heart sank into her stomach. There was nothing going on between her and the Korean boy, but she felt unsettled by the news of Josie becoming close to him without her knowledge. She began to wonder why he didn't just say that he was seeing her? Why lie about it? Were they together?

"Good for them. I'm going to go to class." Ali said as she turned around and left the student lounge before any one could say anything else. While walking down the corridor, Ali felt her phone vibrate, so she quickly fished for it and looked at the screen.

 _Hey Ali! I just wanted to say that we all miss you at the Whyte Wyrm! Make sure to come by soon :)_

Ali felt a sharp pain in her heart after reading the text from Toni. She quickly put her phone away and ignored the text. Ali knew that she couldn't go see her friends at the Whyte Wyrm out of respect for her parents, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt any less.

* * *

The first day back at school after being away for almost a week was draining for Ali. She left her last class wanting to go home and climb into her bed. The British girl was excited to walk out of the school doors and begin her way home, but was interrupted when a familiar Korean boy ran up to her and stood in front of her – stopping Ali in her tracks.

"Reggie." Ali greeted the boy in front of her.

"Hey, Ali! Ready to go home?" Reggie asked with a smile on his face.

"Yea, that's why I'm headed there now." Ali pointed out the obvious.

"I thought that I could drive you home?" Reggie suggested.

"I'm good." Ali sidestepped her way around Reggie, but all he had to do was move to the side and he was blocking her once again.

"No no. I shall escort you home, young lady." Reggie reached out his arm – hoping that Ali would take it, but was shocked when she pushed his arm away.

"Like I said – I'm good." Ali only had the thought of Josie in her head when she looked at Reggie and she needed to get away from him as fast as she could. Ali felt jealousy and sadness boil in her stomach as she began to walk away from Reggie. The bewildered Korean boy watched the girl walk away again. He believed that the pair was in a better place again and then he would be able to drive Ali to and from school – maybe even more one day, but he wasn't so sure anymore. Reggie was confused at the recent interaction with Ali, but he was pulled out of his thoughts when someone placed their hand on his back.

"Hey, Reggie. I was hoping to run into you." Reggie was face-to-face with the chocolate skinned girl, Josie.

"Hey, Josie." Reggie faked a smile at the girl in front of him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go the this party tomorrow? The Lodge's are having this thing for all their expensive friends and I'll be singing, so I think that you should come." Reggie looked back at the fleeting British girls figure before looking back at Josie.

"Sure."

* * *

 **So I'll be back with another chapter next week! I feel like Mondays I always end up posting new chapters to all my stories...**

 **DOES ALI LIKE REGGIE?! What are with those feelings? Do you think she'll finally admit it to herself that she may have caught some feelings for Reggie?**

 **Leave a review! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: New Introductions**

Ali grumbled as she walked down the stairs with her heels in her hands. Cecile and Theo were speaking in the family room, but stopped when their daughter made her way into the room. Theo walked over to his daughter with his open arms as he took her in. Ali's dress had a long sleeve bodice. It was black with gold detailing covering every inch. The bodice had a V-cut that showed slight cleavage. Her white skirt started at her waist and was a mullet cut. The front of the skirt was cut slightly above her knee while the back draped down behind her in a V shape.

"You are the most beautiful young lady in the world." Theo complimented his daughter when he walked up to her and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"She gets that from me." Cecile added as she walked over to her husband and daughter. Ali went to sit down on the chair, so she could put on her black strappy heels while Theo kissed his wife's cheek.

"I don't know why I have to come to this." Ali complained as she stood up and followed her parents out the front door.

"The Lodges' invited us to show our support for them and this upcoming project, mon chou." Theo explained as the three got into Theo's brand new car.

"Je connais, papa." Ali sighed.

"They are well respected business people and we need to make sure that we are all on the same side." Theo spoke as he began to drive to the destination.

"Besides, you're friends with Veronica, so it shouldn't be too much to ask you to come to this event." Cecile said.

"I just wanted to stay home." Ali confessed. After Ali had learned that Reggie and Josie shared an intimate moment, she didn't want to be very involved at school. She felt a slight pang of jealousy whenever she thought of the two together, but she would never admit it out loud.

"You can stay home tomorrow. Besides, you have never been one to pass up on the opportunity to dress up." Cecile said. Cecile was right about her daughter – Ali always loved to dress up for fancy occasions, despite her normal attire.

The trio safely made their way to the destination. The sun was shining and all the guests were dressed in some of their nicest clothing. Theo walked in-between the two lovely ladies he had in his life as they walked on the red carpet, into the canopy. Ali knew how to act in these social situations – a gracious smile, polite manners and the speech of royalty. The trio were stopped by Mr. and Mrs. Lodge. Theo and Cecile happily spoke with the other business couple in front of them. Mr. and Mrs. Lodge were pleased that Ali and Veronica had become friends because they believed that it is important to have friends who are of similar standing. Ali politely excused herself after that comment and made her way to the snack bar. Her eyes scanned over the expensive appetizers that were laid out and debating on what she should eat.

"The crab cakes are to die for." Ali heard an unfamiliar voice behind her. She looked over her shoulder and was met with a boy who had black curly hair that was cut short. He wore a tuxedo that was clearly tailored to him and his light green eyes popped as he looked at Ali. However, Ali noted that hit bowtie seemed too big for him.

"Thanks, I guess I'll have to try one." Ali thanked the boy in front of her.

"What is a beautiful Brit, like yourself, doing here in Riverdale?" The boy smiled at Ali.

"I live here now. I was told to come and spruce up the place a bit." Ali smirked.

"Well you definitely do. You look absolutely stunning in that dress." His eyes scanned Ali's body in a predatory way. A familiar feeling of uneasiness settled into her stomach, but she waved it away because she has faced much worse.

"Why thank you. You look rather dashing yourself…" Ali trailed off her sentence because she didn't know the boys name. "Nick." Ali gave him her hand and he placed a peck on the back of it.

"I'm Ali."

"Well, Ali, would you like to have this dance with me?" Nick held out his hand and Ali took it.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the canopy, Cecile made her way to a long lost friend of hers from high school. She walked over to the familiar man who now had a beard as an accessory to hit overall look. Cecile's hand was lightly placed on Fred's arm and when he looked at her, for the first time in over 20 years, he was shocked.

"Cecile?"

"Hi, Fred." Cecile was nervous and shy, but Fred quickly wrapped his arms around her and the two embraced.

"I heard that you were back, but I didn't believe it." Fred held Cecile at arms length, so he could take her all in. "You look radiant! How are you?"

"I'm well. How are you? I heard about what happened at Pop's." Fred felt a familiar shudder run through his bones at the mention of Pop's.

"I'm okay. I'm still on medication, but I'm out and about now. But how are you? The last thing I heard about you was the cancer. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." Fred held Cecile's hands. She gave him a soft smile and a soft nod. Fred's heart broke as he looked at Cecile's face. This was the woman that he used to love. This was the woman he had wanted to marry and she had to go through such a traumatizing experience without him.

"It's been several years, so I'm very much in remission. After the surgery, they're pretty confident that it won't come back, but I have to go in for check-ups every couple years." Cecile explained.

"That's good to here. If I had known then I would've flown to you and helped take care of you." Fred explained. Cecile smiled at Fred.

"Don't worry. I'm sure your wife wouldn't be very pleased." Cecile used a baiting statement – she wanted to know what Fred's marital status was.

"I'm actually divorced." Fred corrected as he let go of Cecile's hands.

"Oh no, what happened?" Cecile questioned.

"It just didn't work out. We should get coffee together sometime? Catch up?" Fred suggested the date to Cecile.

"I'd love that." Fred's eyes wandered over to the dance floor and noticed a young girl wearing a black dress with gold stitching.

"Is that your daughter?" Fred pointed out the young lady to Cecile.

"That is. Alita Dubois, but she only ever likes being called Ali by non-family members." Cecile smiled at she watched her daughter dance with a young man wearing a tuxedo.

"She very beautiful. Just like her mother." Fred complimented Cecile. Cecile's cheeks began to heat up as blood rushed to them. "You have a son too, right?"

"I do, I have twin boys. Mathias Dubois, but he only likes being called Matt if you can't pronounce Mathias the way they do in French. Then there's Clovis, but everyone calls him Clo." Cecile said.

"I see that both your kids have very strong characteristics already." Fred laughed as he was reminded that Cecile was the exact same way in high school. "Where are they?" Fred scanned the room, hoping to find a young man that resembled the woman beside him, but he did not.

"They're not here. He didn't move with us." Cecile answered.

"Oh?" Fred looked at Cecile with a raised eyebrow.

"Hopefully, he'll be joining us soon though." Cecile smiled at Fred before looked back at Ali – who was now dancing with Reggie.

* * *

 **Okay woah...we got a bit of information here if you've been paying attention!**

 **1) Ali meets Nick...WHAT DO WE THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN?! Do we think she'll end up beating him up? Maybe she'll end up being his target instead of Cheryl?!**

 **2) Fred and Cecile know each other from high school? Is there more there?**

 **3) ALI HAS TWIN BROTHERS?! NO WAY! THEY'RE COMING SOON?! WE GET NEW DRAMA?! WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?! WHY AREN'T THEY HERE?!**

 **Leave me a review with your theories!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Follow Your Instinct**

Reggie stood off to the side of the canopy. He had seen Ali walk into the event with her parents, but he was absolutely taken away by her. As he watched her converse with different individuals, he noticed that she was a completely different person in this setting. She came across as a proper young lady who was as much as a business intellect as her parents.

"What are you looking at?" Reggie's eyes were pulled away from Ali when he heard someone ask him a question. He looked over and saw Josie looking up at him.

"I was just taking this whole thing in." Reggie lied.

"It's okay. I've gone to enough of these events to know how they run like the back of my hand." Josie pointed out.

"Well this is new for me." Reggie said.

"Are you excited to see me perform today?" Josie asked.

"Of course." Reggie smiled at his date, but it never reached his eyes. Josie was nice; he liked her. She was pretty, smart and talented, but she never made his heart race – unlike the British girl who was standing just a few feet away from him.

"Great! I have to go get ready, so I see you later." Josie wanted to lean in for a hug from Reggie, but only managed to squeeze his hand. As she walked away, Reggie's eyes found Ali's body. She was dancing with Nick and he felt a pang of anger and jealousy. However, his anger began to boil under his skin when he saw Nick's hands roam downwards towards Ali's ass. Her hands quickly raised his hands back up to her waist. Reggie noticed the frown on Ali's face as she looked at him. Nick leaned forward and whispered something into Ali's ear – which resulted in her brows furrowing and a look of disgust being plastered on her face. Reggie decided to walk over to the pair and make sure that Ali was safe.

"Hey, Ali." Reggie greeted Ali.

"Reggie?" Ali was surprised to see Reggie, but she noted just how dapper he looked in his well-fitted suit.

"Oh hey! Aren't you Veronica's friend?" Nick asked as he looked up at Reggie.

"I am. I was wondering if I could have a dance with Ali?" Reggie suggested.

"I think we're still dancing, bu-"

"Of course." Ali cut Nick off. "You don't mind, right?" Ali smiled at Nick. Reggie straightened his back a little more – showing his dominance to Nick.

"Sure. Just come find me when you're done." Nick winked at Ali. Nick let go of the girl in front of him and walked away. Reggie quickly took his place and placed both hands on Ali's hips while hers managed to find their way around his neck.

"Thanks." Ali thanked the boy in front of her.

"No problem. I saw you guys and you looked pretty uncomfortable." Reggie explained.

"He's just…he gives me a weird feeling." Ali stared at his back and watched him approach Cheryl.

"What do you mean?" Reggie questioned.

"He kept asking me if I wanted to go somewhere else with him and when I kept saying no he just kept being really pushy about it. He wouldn't take no for an answer." Ali explained.

"Well don't worry, I'm here now." Reggie smiled at Ali.

"I would've knocked him out, but I didn't want to embarrass my parents." Ali sighed. "You have to learn to keep up certain pretences depending on where you are."

"Let's not dwell on it. You're safe and you're with me." Reggie comforted Ali.

"I'd much rather have food than you." Ali joked.

"I can give you some sausage?" Reggie playfully winked at Ali. She lightly smack his chest as she smiled and shook her head.

"You're a perv."

"I'm only a perv for you."

"Why are you here, anyways?" Ali asked.

"Josie invited me." Reggie answered.

"Oh…like a date?" Ali felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"She knows that we're just friends." Reggie quickly answered. He didn't want Ali thinking that he was dating Josie when he very much wasn't.

"Look at you two looking all cozy!" Cheryl happily giggled while Nick held her up. She was standing pretty close to Ali and Reggie. "Make sure Josie doesn't see. I bet she'll be really jealous that Ali is swooping in on her man."

"You're drunk, Cheryl." Reggie sighed as he rolled his eyes at the red head.

"Very perceptive of you, Reggie. I'm just saying that, since Ali has been hanging out with Veronica and Betty, her social standing has dropped in school. What a shame." Ali knew not to give Cheryl a response. She was clearly drunk, with the way her words slurred, her legs practically giving way underneath her and the fact that she had to be held up by Nick.

"Can you just take her away, Nick?" Reggie asked the curly haired boy beside him.

"Of course. Come on, Cheryl." Nick cooed in Cheryl's ear and he happily took her away from Reggie and Ali.

"Don't listen to her. There's nothing going on between Josie and I." Reggie began to defend himself to Ali. She stopped dancing and brought her arms down to her sides.

"It's okay. It's none of my business." Ali refused to make eye contact with the boy in front of her. Reggie took Ali's hands in his, so she would look at him.

"It is because I don't want you thinking that after I kissed you, I turned around and started liking someone else." Reggie explained.

"Again, it's none of my business." Ali said.

"It is. I'm only interested in you, even if you're so stubborn that you don't believe me." Reggie joked which allowed a small smile to form on Ali's red lipstick covered lips. "I know you don't want a relationship right now, so I'll wait. Even if all I want to do is kiss you." Reggie basically whispered to Ali. Her heart began to flutter in her chest at his words.

However, from the stage, Josie saw this exchange. She saw hoe close Ali and Reggie were. How he dipped his head, so he could whisper sweet nothings into Ali's ear. She watched as a smile would form on Ali's lips before they continued to sway to the music that Josie and her friends were playing. Josie felt heartbroken while watching the scene in front of her. She believed that Reggie was genuinely interested in her after the previous party, but she was mistaken. When Veronica nudged her arm, her eyes flew to another couple – Nick and Cheryl. Nick was caring Cheryl out of the canopy and into the hotel, so Josie, Veronica and the Pussycats all followed the two. Ali saw Veronica and her friends leave the stage and walk out of the canopy. She quickly excused herself from Reggie and followed them. She caught up to Veronica and grabbed her arm.

"Where are you guys going?" Ali asked as she followed the raven-haired girl.

"We saw Nick taking Cheryl away and she couldn't even walk." Josie explained.

"You can't trust him, Ali." Veronica said as they walked into the hotel.

"Don't worry, I don't. He gives me to creeps." Ali confirmed as they ran up the stairs. "Do you know what room he's staying in?"

"This one, over here." Veronica pointed out the room door. Luckily, there was a janitor cart in the hallway, so she quickly picked up the keys and unlocked the door. The lights were off and the moonlight shown in. Cheryl was lying on the bed – unconscious while Nick took off his jacket. Ali quickly ran over to Nick and grabbed him by his collar. She slung him backwards and wound up her right fist before letting it loose on his nose.

"You piece of shit!" Ali yelled as she pushed him backwards, to the Pussycats could give him a few punches too. "Go check on Cheryl." Ali instructed Veronica and Josie. Ali allowed her heels to collide with Nick's ribs, several times. She quickly pushed back to Pussycats, so she could get on top of him and begin punching his face. "You disgusting piece of shit!" Ali yelled as he fists continued to collide with his face.

"Ali, stop!" She felt her arms being pulled as she was lifted back to her feet. Ali saw the Pussycats holding her back. She quickly let her foot to hit him one more time before raising her hands.

"Okay, I'm done." Ali quickly turned around to see Veronica and Josie trying to wake up Cheryl. She quickly grabbed a nearby towel and wiped her hands before making her way over to them.

"Damn Ali. You got one hell of a punch." Veronica looked at Ali with amazement. She just shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

 **So are we happy Ali got a few punches in on Nick?**

 **Also, what Reggie said was so SWEET! Don't you think?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Practice Promises**

"People like him disgust me." Theo practically spat out his words while he held his coffee in his hand.

"I know, but Alita was very brave with her friends." Cecile pointed out the bravery their daughter had displayed a few nights before.

"I just did what anyone else would've done." Ali shrugged as she took another bite from her toast.

"I'm so very proud of you, but you also need to be careful. You might get hurt every time you run in to help someone." Theo was concerned for his daughters' safety. He reached over the table to hold her hand, but she just shook it away before standing.

"Don't worry so much." Ali walked over to her parents and placed a kiss on each head. "I'm going to head to school now. Reggie's car should be pulling up." She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door, but she heard her father call out to her,

"I don't like you spending so much time with this Reggie guy!"

"You don't like any man that isn't you, Mathias or Clovis!" Ali laughed. "I'll see you later!" Ali quickly left the house and wasn't surprised to see Reggie's car pulled up to the curb and him standing outside, leaning against the car with his arms crossed over his chest. Reggie took one look at Ali and whistled at her appearance. "I'm trying to defend you to my dad, so whistling won't help the cause." Ali explained as she walked over to him.

"Well we'll just have to keep it our little secret." Reggie winked before opening up the car door, so Ali could climb in. Once Reggie was back in his seat, he started the car and began to make his way to school. "I have a favour to ask you."

"That sounds ominous." Ali said as she leaned back into her seat and enjoyed the familiar drive.

"So apparently Jughead is doing a drag race with my car." Ali's head almost snapped off her neck with how fast she looked at Reggie.

"You're letting someone else drive your car?" Ali practically gasped.

"It's a long story. Anyways, I was wondering if you could show Jughead a few tricks?"

"No." Ali answered bluntly.

"Why not?" Reggie asked.

"Because I don't teach people how to race. I just race." Ali shrugged her shoulders. When they arrived at a red light, Reggie turned to Ali and presented his puppy dog eyes.

"Please!"

"Are you a child?" Ali joked. Reggie huffed in his seat as he made a turn.

"Can you just do this for me? Didn't your American license come through anyways?" Reggie asked.

"It did." Ali answered.

"So then you have no reason not to help." Reggie smiled at Ali before turning into the parking lot at school. Ali sighed as she pushed the back of her head into her headrest. However, outside, students watched as the familiar car pulled into the parking lot.

The students watched as Reggie and Ali exited the car. Ali always seemed to come out of the car with an annoyed look on her face while Reggie swung his bag over his shoulder and escorted her inside. The two never noticed that they were constantly being watched since they were in a world of their own. Students noticed how Reggie would smile a littler wider whenever Ali was nearby and how Ali seemed a little less intimidating whenever Reggie was in the vicinity.

"I'll make you a deal." Ali said as her and Reggie walked to her locker, so she could grab her books.

"I'm all ears." Reggie replied as he leaned against the locker beside Ali's, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to the nearest Bulldog.

"I'll do it."

"Really?" Reggie beamed when he looked over at the British girl beside him.

"As long as you don't escort me to him. I'll teach Jughead, but I have to drive the car there…without you in it." Ali stated. Reggie's jaw dropped at this proposal.

"You have to be kidding."

"Nope."

"No way." Reggie said as he shook his head.

"And why not?" Ali questioned him. She closed her locker door and began to walk away from the taller man.

"Because I don't want you to have my car, alone. Also, why can't I come with you? We go everywhere together!" Reggie exaggerated.

"We do not go everywhere together. You better not be telling people that." Ali said after her hand slapped Reggie on his bicep.

"I don't! But I wouldn't be lying, exactly." Reggie wiggled his eyebrows as a smile crept on his face. He wrapped his arm around Ali's shoulders and brought her closer to his side. Ali shook her head and seemed unfazed by Reggie's touch, which sent a pang of sadness through Reggie's heart. He had been beating himself up after kissing Ali, but he was hoping that he didn't completely ruin his chances with her. Yes, he was a playboy, but he genuinely cared about Ali. This was the first time he'd ever felt such sadness.

"I still don't think you should come." Ali said.

"Why not?" Reggie questioned.

"Because you know the serpents will be there and I don't think you'll behave." Ali answered once she stood beside the door to her English class.

"I'm not going to let you go see those thugs by yourself. I'm coming to make sure you're safe." Reggie lowered his voice as he spoke.

"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl." Ali shrugged her shoulders.

"No, I'm coming with you. End of discussion." Ali looked up at the tall Korean man with an annoyed expression.

"Reggie…"

"No. Don't 'Reggie' me. I'm coming along." Ali sighed and rolled her eyes as she said,

"Fine." Ali pointed her finger at Reggie and jabbed it into his chest.

"Promise me that you'll behave. I don't want any fight starting."

"I promise." Reggie raised his hands. "I won't be fighting anyone."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Ali asked herself as she turned around and walked into her classroom.

* * *

 **Oooooooo what do we think will happen at the practice?**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Underestimating Is A Terrible Thing**

The Serpents watched as the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle drove towards them. They watched as the car was basically swung into a donut and stopped right in front of the group. When the driver door opened, they watched as Ali stepped out of the car and leaned against the doorframe. The onlookers jaws dropped as they realized who the driver was.

"Ali?" Toni asked the girl in front of her.

"The one and only." Ali smirked at the group.

"I thought Reggie was going to come with you." Jughead stated as he walked towards the car. Ali closed the door and walked towards the group of Serpents in front of her.

"When I got to his house, his mother said he needed to stay home to fix some stuff. So you're stuck with me." Ali explained.

"I guess you're better than that Northsider." Sweet Pea added as he walked over. The Serpents that came to support Jughead all walked towards the car. Ali found a comfortable spot leaning against the hood.

"Are you ready to learn how to race, Jughead?" Ali smirked as she crossed her arms and looked at the beanie wearer.

"Wait…you're going to teach him?" Toni looked at her friend with a confused expression. No one knew much about the British girl in front of them, but they would have never thought that she was a racer.

"Of course." Ali looked at all the faces in front of her and enjoyed the look of surprise grow. One of the many things Ali enjoyed was breaking expectations.

"You don't know how to race, Curly." Sweet Pea scoffed at the idea.

"Why is that so hard to believe, Sweet Pea? Is it because you know I'd beat you?" She asked. Sweet Pea never liked to be challenged or underestimated. Sweet Pea puffed out his chest as he tried to regain control of the situation in front of him.

"How would you know how to beat me? You drive on the wrong side of the road in crumpet land." Sweet Pea believed that he was superior in this situation, but he was very wrong.

"You all have your bikes, right?" Ali looked at the Serpents in front of her. They all nodded their head in agreement. "How about, Sweet Pea and I race then. I'll borrow someone's bike and we'll see who wins. Winner teaches Jughead how to race."

"Deal." Without even thinking, Sweet Pea agreed to the terms and conditions.

"Perfect, so who's bike can I borrow?" Ali asked.

"Mine?" Jughead wasn't completely sure about how this all happened, but he would rather she used his bike than someone else's.

"Thanks. Let's get ready then." Sweet Pea and Ali placed their bikes at their starting line while Fangs stood by the finish line. Toni spoke with Ali as she mounted the bike and placed the helmet onto her head.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ali?"

"Don't worry so much." Ali placed the helmet on her head and lifted the visor, so she could see her coloured haired friend.

"Listen, Sweet Pea knows how to race. What's the harm in letting him teach-"

"Toni, don't worry. I got this." Ali winked at Toni before placing the visor down. She started up the motorcycle and began to rev the engine. Sweet Pea and Ali both watched as Toni took her position in front of them. As soon as she brought her arm down, the two were off.

The race wasn't a long one, they only had to round one corner, but that one corner made all the difference. Sweet Pea saw the corner and let off the gas slightly, so he would be able to go around with control and ease, but Ali took this as her opportunity to pass him. As she changed gears, she swung the motorcycle almost at the outer edge of the turn before going completely straight. The speed that she hit allowed her to pass Sweet Pea in an instant and he stared at her back as she claimed first prize.

Sweet Pea was confused by her move and didn't understand how she was able to reach the finish line before him, but she did. She took off the helmet and shook her curly hair, so it cascaded down her back again. Sweet Pea noticed the movement and how the sun showed just how shiny her hair was. When she turned to look at him she had a devilish smirk on her lips.

"We learn how to drive in a straight line." Were the only words that came out of her mouth. She made reference to what Sweet Pea had previously said in regards to her not knowing how to drive on the right side of the road. He had forgotten that that didn't matter. Ali, Sweet Pea and Fangs made their way back to Toni and Jughead. The two Serpents who didn't know who the winner was were surprised when they learned that Ali had easily beaten Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest when his two friends looked at him with surprised faces.

"It's more work teaching a newbie how to race anyways. I lucked out." Sweet Pea tried to show that he wasn't bothered by his loss.

"I mean, I might need a water boy when I get thirsty after all my lessons." Ali pointed out. Sweet Pea didn't rise to the bait, even though he wanted to.

"Can you give me some pointers, too?" Toni asked Ali. Ali nodded her head before responding,

"Of course. I'll teach you a few things after I get Jughead sorted, okay?"

"Thanks!"

"Now, Jughead, shall we?" Ali waved her hand towards Reggie's car.

"Sure. Yeah." Jughead followed Ali into the car. Once it was only the two inside the car, Ali turned to look at Jughead.

"If you lose this race, you'll prove that I'm a bad teacher, so you better win, okay?" Ali threatened. It was the glare that she gave Jughead that made him move back slightly. He didn't know what Ali was capable of and he didn't want to find out in that moment.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

 **HI!**

 **What have you been thinking with the latest season?! CRAZY RIGHT?!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: No One Likes A Snitch**

"I trust that you will keep my daughter out of trouble." Cecile spoke to Reggie as Ali put her shoes on her feet. One last look in the mirror and another fluff of her hair and Ali was now pushing past her mother, so she could stand on the porch with Reggie.

"You have my word, Mrs. Dubois." Reggie smiled at Cecile.

"Good. Have fun you two." Cecile waved off her daughter and her friend before closing the front door. Ali sighed once she got inside Reggie's car.

"Your mother is nice." Reggie commented as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. Reggie and Ali were heading towards Jughead's street race together. They had to arrive slightly early before everyone else because Jughead was using Reggie's car.

"She's very involved." Ali said as she looked out the window. Reggie looked at Ali through the corner of his eye. His eyes quickly trailed Ali's form in his passenger seat. Her high waisted light wash coloured jeans fit her perfectly and her black and white striped top hugged her torso in a way that emphasized every inch of her. Her curly hair was out and fluffed and Reggie wanted to touch it, but refrained himself from doing so. Instead he placed his hand on her thigh.

"Well I like her since she lets you spend time with me." Ali moved slightly in her seat as she continued to look out the window.

"I guess so." Reggie took her reply as a sign that she wasn't interested in his physical contact. Reggie reluctantly pulled her hand back and placed it on the top of his gearshift.

"How do you think Jughead is going to do?" Reggie asked.

"Well I taught him the basics. We only had one training day, so he won't be as good as me, but he should win." Ali answered. "If he doesn't win then he'll disappoint me."

"He'll bring dishonour on all of us!" Reggie made a Mulan reference. Ali took note and looked at him. She cocked up her eyebrow and Reggie quickly smiled at her before turning his head. Once he did, he heard Ali laugh an actual belly laugh.

"You're actually the weirdest guy I've ever met." Ali said through her remaining giggles before looking out of the window again. Ali was right, Reggie was a strange one, but she was becoming weirdly fond of the Korean driver.

Once the pair arrived at the meeting spot, Ali quickly made her way over to the Serpents. She spoke with Toni and Sweet Pea and Fangs joined in as well. Reggie shook Jughead's hand as he watched what Ali was doing. Reggie wasn't aware that she was close with the Serpents. As Jughead walked away and the other Northsiders showed up, Reggie sat on top of Archie's pick-up truck.

"You want something to drink?" Cheryl walked over to Reggie with a red solo cup.

"Sure." Reggie took the cup and began to drink the cool liquid inside. It was hot out and Reggie was beginning to regret wearing his jacket, but he wasn't going to take it off. If the Serpents could stand there in their jackets than Reggie could do so as well. Once Ali was done her conversation, she walked back over to Reggie with a smile on her face. Cheryl sat next to Reggie on the hood of the truck while Kevin leaned against the front. Veronica and Betty were consumed in a conversation on the other side.

"Where'd you get that?" She asked.

"Cheryl gave it to me. Want some?" Reggie offered Ali a sip from his cup.

"I'm good." Ali shook her head.

"All right! Let's do this!" Ali looked behind her and saw Tall Boy walk up and yell in front of everyone. The crowd began to cheer with excitement. Reggie watched Ali and took this as his opportunity to move forward on the truck. He moved his legs, so Ali was now standing in-between them.

"Not the kind of drag race I ever imagined myself going to, but at least the guys are hot." Kevin commented as he scoped out the boys.

"Some of them aren't so bad." Ali agreed as she looked at Kevin with a smirk. Her eyes met Sweet Pea's for the briefest of seconds, but that lead her to look away as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Some are better than others though, right?" Reggie snaked his arm around Ali's collarbone and leaned forward, so she could say it into her ear.

"Yeah, too bad none of them go to our school." Ali leaned back, so she could turn her face towards Reggie. After her teasing sentence, Reggie scoffed and smiled.

"You think you're all that, huh?" Reggie was happy with how close the two were. This was the first time he had reached out to touch her and he felt as though she didn't mind the physical contact.

"If I wasn't then you wouldn't be double texting me, right?" Kevin and Cheryl watched the two beside them. Kevin's eyes widened at the information of Reggie double texting a girl. Cheryl's sunglasses fell down the bridge of her nose as she gave the pair an amused look.

"You like it. How many guys are texting you?" Reggie felt smug. Ali barely spoke to anyone, so he knew that no one was giving her the attention that she deserved.

"You should see just how many are, Reggie. I think you'd be very surprised." Ali turned her head, so she could watch the racers head to their cars and get ready to start.

"Wait, how many guys are texting you?" Reggie brought his arm back to his side as the concern began to grow inside of him. Did he actually have competition? Were there other guys who had Ali's attention? Is that why she was always playing with Reggie instead of taking him seriously?

"Be careful, Reggie. The green eyed monster is showing." Ali said. With the sun beating down and the excited atmosphere in the air, Ali was in a good mood. She was in a playful mood and it's when Ali's in a playful mood that she becomes the most dangerous.

"Let's get these cars up on the road!" Tall Boy instructed the drivers. The drivers moved the cars to where they needed to be placed and the crowd followed. Everyone waited patiently for Cheryl to wave her arms and once she did – they were off. The crowd all yelled and screamed as the two cars sped forward and into the distance.

"He better win, Curly." Ali looked beside her and saw Sweet Pea looking at her. Everyone else began to walk back to their spots on the other vehicles.

"Don't you worry, I'm a good teacher." Ali crossed her arms over her chest as she walked towards Sweet Pea.

"Well he better be because I don't want to be a Ghoulie." Sweet Pea kept a straight face as he looked down at the British girl in front of him. Ali unwrapped her arms and placed her hands on Sweet Pea's jacket. She straightened out his zipper as she spoke,

"Have some faith in me, Sweet Pea. I won't let you down." Maybe it was because Ali had her hands on Sweet Pea's jacket or maybe it was the way the corners of her lips curved upwards, but Sweet Pea was very focused on the girl in front of him in that moment. However, with a path on his chest, Ali turned around and walked away – back to her Northside group.

* * *

"Everyone scatter! The cops are rounding up Ghoulies!" A man with long hair yelled as he ran over to the group of teenagers. The Ghoulies began to do as they were told and started to run away. The Serpents all grabbed their bikes and revved up their engines.

"How're we getting out of here?" Ali turned to look at Reggie. Reggie quickly jumped off the hood of the truck and looked around. His car wasn't there, so he didn't have an answer for her.

"Ali, do you want to ride with us?" Ali looked over and saw Toni standing with a helmet in her hands. Panic rose in Reggie's chest at the thought of her going off with the Serpents. Luckily, Jughead arrived with Reggie's car.

"It's okay, she's with me." Reggie spoke to Toni as he wrapped his arm around Ali's shoulders. Jughead and Archie quickly got out of the car and began to argue with Tall Boy and each other.

"Quickly, get in." Reggie opened up the passenger side door and put Ali in the car before getting into the drivers seat. Ali listened to the conversation and realized that Archie had called the cops on the race and now the Ghoulies were in trouble with the Sheriff.

"If the cops are here and Jughead drove in your car…" Reggie watched Ali as she began to think. Once her head turned, so she was now looking at Reggie he knew he needed to drive. "He raced in your car. We need to go."

Without another word, Reggie quickly backed out of the chaos and drove away – leaving everyone else behind. Reggie focused on the drive while Ali began to speak out loud. She didn't care if Reggie had an opinion on the matter at hand, but she spoke anyways as she began to think about what was currently happening.

"I can't believe he called the police. Is he really your friend? Why would he do that? You don't call the police when gangs are involved. The cops aren't going to protect you." Ali continued to rant in her seat.

"I didn't know Archie called the cops. I'm with you though, he shouldn't have done it." Reggie agreed with the girl who sat beside him.

"I'm beginning to think he's not very bright." Ali commented.

"Who Archie? Well, he doesn't think a lot of things through, but he's smarter than some of those Serpents." Reggie made a comment about the gang that he did not get along with.

"The Serpents? Do you even know them well enough to have an opinion?" Ali challenged the driver.

"Come on, Ali. It's the Serpents. I get that you're not from around here, but you don't know everything about what they've done." Reggie counteracted.

"Have you spent any time with them?" Ali asked.

"No, but I know you have." Reggie's jealousy began to show and Ali was quick to notice.

"They're funny and they're good people. They're like everyone else." Ali said.

"I just think that you shouldn't spend time with them. You don't know what they're capable of."

"Trust me, I've dealt with a lot worse." Ali crossed her arms over her chest and slouched in her seat as she looked out the window. Anger and annoyance radiated off of Ali, but Reggie didn't take note.

"Does it have something to do with your back?" Ali's body froze at the question. Her head slowly turned to look at the Korean driver. She couldn't believe what he had just asked.

"How do you know?" The words came out like a whisper.

"Veronica mentioned something." Reggie answered. Ali quickly turned away and looked back out the window.

"It's none of your business." She stated. Reggie knew that the topic was off limits, so he didn't press her on the subject. Instead he placed his hand on her thigh again and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm here for you. When you're ready to talk."

"Stop the car." Ali felt like she was being suffocated.

"What?"

"Stop the car." Her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Ali-"

"STOP THE CAR!" Reggie pulled over to the curb and Ali quickly got out. This was the second time she bolted out of his car and it was about the same topic of conversation. Ali stood up and quickly began walking down the sidewalk. Veronica had spoken to Reggie about Ali's back before she was ready to tell him. She wasn't ready to tell anyone. That was her secret. That was her body!

"Ali, where are you going? Get in the car." Reggie slowly drove his car on the side of the road and yelled at Ali. She ignored him as she continued to walk down the sidewalk. She didn't look at him at all. "Listen, I don't know anything. Veronica just mentioned it. If you think that I won't understand-"

"Your services are not needed today. You can pick me up for school on Monday." Ali spoke to him as if she was paying Reggie to do this. Reggie stopped the car and quickly got out. Ali continued to walk away from him.

"Ali. Ali. Stop!" Reggie finally grabbed a hold of her wrist and spun her around, so he could look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. Just please, get back in the car."

"She shouldn't have told you." Ali made reference to Veronica.

"I know and I think she was just asking because she was curious. You know what she's like."

"That's not an excuse." Reggie lifted his hands in a surrender position.

"I'm not trying to defend her, I'm just saying that she didn't ask because she wanted to hurt you." Ali let Reggie's words sink in as she looked up at him. "We don't have to talk about it. Just get in the car." Ali didn't move. Reggie placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "I'll buy you a milkshake at Pop's?" He offered.

"I'll have a vanilla." Maybe it was the look Reggie was giving Ali that made her calm down and realized that she didn't need to take her anger and frustrations out on him. Maybe it was the fact that she was about to get a free milkshake. But Ali did know that she couldn't trust Veronica to keep her mouth shut.

* * *

 **And...BOOM! Another chapter up for you lovely peeps! How did you like it? What do we think Ali will do about Veronica? Do we have any guesses about Ali's past?**


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